A Dream Worth Keeping
by SeanEmma4Evr
Summary: Years have gone by since Hogwarts and so much as changed for Hermione...a husband, children, and for some reason, she can't remember any of it. Will her memory return? If not, can she learn to love this man again? PostHogwarts,HGDM, COMPLETE
1. Must Be A Nightmare

**A Dream Worth Keeping**

**Must Be A Nightmare - Chapter 1**

It was the pungent smell of vanilla that made Hermione open up her eyes. Her head felt heavy, as though she was hit in the temple with a Firebolt racing broom. The white ceiling above her felt exceedingly bright forcing her eyes to clamp shut, letting the darkness overcome her again. Confusion fluttered throughout her mind considering her four-poster bed was dark at the top, not white.

Slowly, her right eye slid open allowing just a hint of light to evade her sight, enough to stare at the ceiling. It was still eggshell white. She clamped her eyes shut again, entirely still confused.

Sounds of giggling and deep laughter could be heard in the distance, but she was not sure if the voices were real or whether she was imagining them. Having expected to wake up in her four-poster and finding herself waking up to a white ceiling already had her confused so she no longer knew what was real. Basically, the girl questioned everything.

Hermione pushed her petite body on her elbows and opened her dark eyes for the third time, revealing a room far from her own. She was surrounded by black blankets and silvery sheets, light speckles of shimmering glitter flecked all over the soft material. Her eyes had adjusted to the light allowing her to focus her caramel orbs on the actual walls. She realized the walls weren't white, but more of a cream color. The surrounding furniture was dark, almost black. The large room appeared big enough to fit ten people, but clutter free, tidy, and spacious.

Oh Merlin, the girl felt confused.

Sitting herself up fully, Hermione allowed the sleep-warm blankets to fall from her upper body. She looked to her left and met a window, covering what appeared to be morning sunlight with a thin silver curtain. The lustrous silver veil swayed against the outer edges of the wall with wind from the long balcony pushing it back and forth.

To her right she saw another creamy wall. An extravagant side-table slid along, a vase deposited in the center, filled with gorgeous white lilies. Only two chairs grazed the side, both looked made of dark wood and silver trimming.

_Where the hell am I?_

Finally, she took notice to herself. Well, herself _physically_, at least. Her hair had caught her attention. Knowing full well she was in her sixth year at Hogwarts, her curly brown locks reached only a few inches beyond her shoulders, frizzy and out of control as ever. However, the hair currently attached to her head grazed her back at a jaw-dropping length. The tresses practically reached down to her waist, still just as curly and rampant as ever.

Pushing her thoughts about her unruly hair aside, her lovely eyes continued to scan the odd room in an attempt to figure out something of familiarity.

Tossing the blankets back, she dropped her small feet to the floor, instantly warming her. The floor transpired as marble, but the feeling consisted of a serene softness like carpet and warm like every tile was heated with precision and care. She stood to her full potential at a short five foot and three inches. She was petite, but feisty none the less.

Realizing she was clad in only a nightgown, her eyes scanned over the rest of her body. She knew for a fact she did not own the material wrapped around her thin frame. It was not as though she slept in a chastity belt covered in layers upon layers of thick, itchy fabric, but she generally preferred to wear more comfortable attire to bed. This was...well it was different. A white silk gown swathed at her top, held up only by thin straps. The material clung to her body, to her every luscious curve, until it reached her mid-thighs. It was the sort of thing Lavender Brown wore to bed; not her.

Another noise from outside of the room caused Hermione to jump on the inlaid floor. After falling back on the bed with a loud thud, she shook her head out of confusion and fear.

_What is going on?!_

At last, her trembling feet found the floor again, standing back up to observe the room. Taking a few steps beyond the ridiculously large and lavished bed, she walked down three steps toward the center of the room where a changing area emerged. A breathtaking chandelier hung above her head sparkling from a mere three candles lit in sporadic locales.

A large vanity sat undisturbed at her left. Hermione walked over to the delightful bench noting its elegant, classic beauty. The oval shaped mirror adorned and littered with red and silver jewels sparkled in the light. On the silver table laid various possessions; from jewelry to perfumes to hairbrushes, the vanity was organized and plentiful.

She looked to the other side and sure enough, through reasoning of her deductive logic, another vanity table sat only escritoire clearly belonged to a man. Unlike the other davenport featuring feminine products and beautiful regalia, this console contained sumptuous bottles of fine cologne and a picture frame. Quickly she realized it held a picture of a woman, smiling and batting her dark orbs sweetly, as all magical pictures moved, up to meet Hermione's own eyes–

_Oh Merlin, that's me. That's my face._

Indeed Hermione smiled up at her only the Hermione highlighted was unambiguously a much older girl. Her heartbeat heightened considerably as she turned away from the desk, no longer wanting to look at an older version of herself smiling suggestively.

Like through the force of magic, her feet managed to move away from the dreaded spot she sensed her skin had physically grown to. The room continued on much like a single room house rather than just a bedroom. A comfortable looking couch had been placed in front of a fireplace at an angle allowing the occupants to stare at the hearth. The couch was black, made of fine material. Hermione could tell by touch it must have cost a hefty sum of galleons.

The magnificence of the fiery-nook swept Hermione up entirely. Fine materials were sifted throughout the fireplace, the top of it adorned with pictures and sentimental keepsakes. She ignored the four pictures, in fear of finding herself in another one, but glanced at the possessions lining the top rim. An ornament about the size of her small hand, shaped of a red and gold 'G' clearly stood for Gryffindor. She did not hesitate to come to the conclusion observing the familiar colors and bold scripture practically screaming of bravery and extreme courage.

Moving further along, still ignoring the various pictures, she scanned for the other ephemera on the fireplace. The girl nearly fell over when her eyes came across an ornament, also about the same size as her pale hand, stained with the colors of silver and green.

"Slytherin," she gasped in a horrified tone, staring at the 'S' flaunting arrogance and condescension. Stepping away, she fell back into the couch pulling her legs up to her rapid moving chest.

_Where am I? No, more importantly, WHO AM I?!_

The sixth year girl's chest heaved up and down, attempting to remain calm, nonetheless, failing miserably. She remembered going to bed after listening to boring gossip between Lavender and Pavarti. She remembered thinking about Harry and Ron who were frustrated with her since she had again scolded them about venturing to bed, disrupting their intense game of wizarding chess. She hated having her friends mad at her, but she was a prefect and it was her responsibility to make sure the students went to bed on time. She remembered feeling tired and exhausted, a long day of studying overtaking her body.

_Then why can't I remember anything else? What is wrong with me?_

Jerking her head to her right after hearing the clear sound of a door opening behind her and then slamming, she gasped. Her skin nearly fell off as her bones turned to mint-jelly, looking at the man pressed firmly against the door. Leaning his back against the oak wood, his face became clearly visible.

"Malfoy?"

His flush faced, surrounded by a complete disarray of blond hair, caught her off guard almost as much as his odd attire. The man wore green, _Slytherin green_, sleeping pants along with a white shirt, clinging to his lean body. She not only had never seen him in pajamas, but she'd never seen him look so–_casual_. She figured Malfoy would be the type of guy to sleep in fine linens, not cotton.

"I swear to Merlin those kids are getting faster everyday. They certainly get that from me, not you."

"Malfoy...what is going on?"

"Well _your_ daughter thought it would be funny to wake me up to play a game of hide and seek. She is getting so good at this game that I'm not sure I'll be able to do this for much longer," he said smoothly with a smile Hermione was unfamiliar with.

_My daughter? Wake Malfoy up? My daughter? Hide and seek? MY DAUGHTER?!_

"What the hell is going on? What are you talking about?"

"Hermione?" He stepped toward her, a look of concern written all over his pale face. "Are you feeling alright? I didn't think the bump would make you this loopy."

"What bump? What are you talking about? And why the hell did you call me Hermione? I thought it was Mudblood or Granger to you, right?"

Draco stopped walking, looking both hurt and confused. She hadn't spoken with such malice and contempt in years. _What in the name of Merlin is going on?_

"Come on, love, stop messing with me. Roxy has been doing that all morning," muttered Draco, a weak smile tugging the corners of his lips. Draco straightened himself out and prepared for Hermione to come down from whatever half-asleep state she had gotten herself in.

"Roxy? Who the hell is Roxy? Malfoy where are we?" she asked impatiently, growing tired of his antics. Hermione Granger hated being in the dark and she felt more than just confused. What bothered her more than anything was the look Malfoy gave her. He appeared more of an idiot than ever.

"Hermione are...are you alright?"

"Stop calling me Hermione! You have no right to call me by my first name you arrogant prick!" Draco took a step back looking absolutely mortified.

"Hermione I–"

"Did I not just tell you stop calling me that?! What is wrong with you and where am I?" she asked in a harsh tone, stomping her foot like a five year old child. Draco stiffened, hoping, praying to Merlin, all of this craziness turned out as some cruel joke.

"I guess, love, you bumped your head harder than I thought. Let's just head back to bed. It's still early and we can rest for another hour or so." He spoke calmly, but it only enraged Hermione further.

Preparing to yell at him again, shouting obscenities that would have horrified her mother, she sucked in a deep breath only cut short as the large oak door opened. Hermione nearly fell over as she looked at a little girl race into the room with red cheeks and a mess of brown curls. Her pale skin reflected the light and her eyes were shimmery ice blue, _like Malfoy's_.

"Daddy you're not allowed in here. That is cheating!" spat the little girl, racing over to Draco, tugging on his left leg. He looked away from Hermione and down to the little girl before he picked her up, stroking her back in a fatherly manner Hermione never would have guessed Malfoy could possess.

"I think you better head out here. Your mother has gone crazy and I'm hoping it's temporary,"stated Draco, walking out with the small child, shutting the door behind him. Hermione had never felt more confused, and more alone, in her entire life. _Has the world gone crazy? What is going on?_

Hermione was not one to simply wait around for something to happen, forever true to her Gryffindor mold, forcing her to race out after Draco. The short girl slammed the door shut behind her and thankfully so seeing as she fell backwards instantly. The sight before her was positively baffling.

Never in all of her life had she seen something so beautiful, so magnificent as the sight before her. The previously occupied bedroom did not compare to the rest of the house, precisely what Hermione stared at. A long balcony lined the upper floor, wrapping around the rest of the top floor, numerous doors lining along the walls. A grand staircase descended to the lower level, encompassed by a deliciously beautiful, gold floor. Spotlessly clean, the house glowed with an ambiance of pure splendor. All the while, a mixture of flowers and the sweet scent of honey crept throughout the manor.

"Wh-where...am I?"

"Mummy!" bellowed a squeaky voice from behind her. Whipping around she came face to face with a small boy, dirty-blond hair falling down in thick strands. The child could not have been more than three, clinging to a toy Griffin. Hermione's eyes practically burst from her head as she stared at the tyke, feeling an odd rush of familiarity in his face. He looked so much like_ her_.

"Um...hi?" Hermione's voice sounded so weak, foreign, unable to grasp a firm handle on the situation. A wide smile spread across the young boy's face, clearly unaware anything was amiss. Running briskly, touching the metal railings as he cantered by, he threw himself at Hermione. Caught off guard, she prepared to step back only he grasped his small arms around her right leg, wanting her to pick him up.

"Uh..."

"Mum?" he asked, looking up into her wide eyes.

Clearing her throat, she bent down on her knees, meeting the child at eye level. For a moment, he guilelessly stared. Finally, he grabbed her warm, flushed cheeks, seizing her attention.

"Brekbest?" asked the boy, lisping on the 's'.

"Breakfast?" she repeated, wanting clarification. The little boy nodded and began tugging on her, pulling her toward the staircase. After sighing and looking back at the closed door, she accepted his hand in order to follow him.

"Daddy!" bellowed the child, still yanking on Hermione's arm.

Entering a lavish kitchen, Hermione spotted Draco and the girl he called Roxy chatting over a stove, Roxy sitting on the counter next to her father. Draco turned around when he saw her approach, an irresolute smile playing at his lips.

"'Mione? Are you feeling any better?" he asked tentatively.

Feeling her voice fail, she nodded mutely. Draco gave her a hesitant, unsure stare before he turned around, facing the bowls in front of him again.

"Daddy, when are we gonna see Uncle Blaise and Aunty Ginny again?" asked Roxy, licking her lips in anticipation for her upcoming breakfast.

"Your mum and I will take you over there later today. In fact, I think we'll bring you there after breakfast. I have a feeling your mum needs to rest a little more today."

Hermione's legs were starting to feel wobbly and her head began to spin. The boy had long since let go of her hand yet she pined for his grasp again, something to let her know she was not dreaming. She had to be dreaming. All of this seemed false, seemed wrong...

"Hermione? Hermione?!"

After that, things happened very fast...

0000000

Draco paced the waiting room, irritation and fear jostling his mind. His irritation had been the result of stubborn healers not giving him any information on his wife who fainted into an unconscious state over an hour before. Draco's fear went out toward Hermione. If she wasn't alright...Merlin help him. He would go crazy without her.

After nearly walking a mile on the carpet of St. Mungo's waiting room, Draco gave into the comfortable looking chair by the window, taking a seat. Exhaling a long, shuddering breath, he leaned back to wait some more.

None of this would have happened if he'd paid better attention. It was all his fault she had fallen...

"_MUM!"_

_Exhaling a deep breath, Hermione asked, "What is it Roxanne?"_

"_Are you gonna tuck me in?!" she bellowed from the upstairs foyer, eagerly awaiting her nightly bedtime story._

_Hermione felt Draco grumble into her stomach, his head resting against the thin material of her nightie. Rubbing her hands through his slick hair, she said, "I'll be up in a minute. I expect you to already be in your bed when I get there."_

_The teetering sound of little feet running around upstairs let her know her daughter understood perfectly well it was time for bed. Hermione may have been a loving mother, but with love came a stern authority. The woman meant business when it came to her children getting sleep._

"_Ugh...don't go," he whined, clutching her hips and making her giggle. She ran a finger across his earlobe, instantly sending shivers down his body, knowing it always had a strong effect on him._

"_The sooner I read her the story then the sooner we can go to bed," she reasoned sensibly. However, sensibility did not seem to be what Draco had in mind._

"_Bed sounds nice," he growled, lifting up his lovely face to eye her seductively._

_Sneering playfully, she quipped, "Is there ever a time when you're not thinking from inside your pants? Whenever something is brought up about bed then you automatically assume we're going to shag."_

"_I only assume this, my pretty lady," he whispered huskily, crawling up her body to straddle her waist; "for I know full well that I will get to shag you. I seem to remember a very willing witch writhing beneath me last night." His eyebrows lifted up in the most pompous of gestures._

_Hermione, feeling the need to shoot him down, replied, "And I seem to remember a very somnolent wizard not performing the night before. I believe he was too exhausted to even look at me. He just passed out next to me like an overstuffed turkey."_

_Draco cursed under his breath making Hermione break out in laughter. Leaning down, pinning her beneath him, he said, "I bloody well chased two children across a park all day. I do not consider that as an inability to perform, but more along the line of a man needing some rest."_

"_Rest? Oh please, all I hear are excuses and excuses and mmmph—"_

_Draco cut her off, passionately pressing his lips against hers. Hermione responded all too well, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. His hands began to grip and touch her body, only to be cut off by the sound of a whining child upstairs._

"_Ugh...the brat," he muttered, tearing his lips away from her with much protest._

_Hermione sighed, rolling out from beneath him in order to venture upstairs. "I'll be back in no time."_

"_I'll certainly be waiting," he smirked, forcing a smile from her._

_Hermione turned around to walk up the stairs, yawning as she reached the top. Her daughter was already situated in bed, just as Hermione expected her to be. _

"_So what am I reading tonight?" asked Hermione, taking her usual seat next to her daughter on the large bed. Roxanne leaned into her mother, snuggling closer to the woman. _

"_Alice and Wonderland!" she said excitedly._

_Hermione laughed. "Alice and Wonderland? Darling I have read you this one over a thousand times."_

"_It's my favorite! Please mummy..." The young girl batted her eyes, looking more like her father than ever._

"_Alright," said Hermione, opening the book without reason given she'd memorized the entire story by heart. "How does it start again?"_

"_Oh mum...Once upon a time," she said matter-of-factly, rolling her grey eyes._

_Hermione smirked before saying, "Oh yes, silly me. Once upon a time, there was a young girl named Alice..."_

_Within ten minutes, her daughter fell asleep against her. Hermione kissed her forehead before wiggling out of the bed as not to wake her. Shutting the door behind her, she moved down the hall to creak open another door to check on her son whose bed time was much earlier. Sleeping peaceful as always, she shut the door to return to her own room._

"_What story was it this time?" asked Draco when she entered. He was already laying in their bed, shirt off and book in hand._

"_The usual," she muttered as she prepared for bed. The nightly brushing of the teeth and hair, along with the face washing, passed by quickly enough, allowing her to get in the bed with her patient husband. Throwing the book on the night-stand, he lunged for her immediately. Draco pressed his lips against hers in a fiery heat, running his tongue along her lower lip. Hermione moaned into his mouth as she allowed him to touch her body, exploring every crevice he already memorized._

"_You're so beautiful..." he whispered huskily, briefly leaving her lips to press butterfly kisses against her neck. Hermione loved his sweet pillow talk. She often wondered if he even knew what he said to her during the throes of passion for it seemed subconscious. No matter—she enjoyed it all the same._

_Without realizing what was happening, Hermione and Draco both fell back. The angle they had been in hindered proper movement, forcing Hermione's head to slam against the bedrail—_hard_. Draco's eyes flew open on instinct, tearing his lips away to examine his wife._

"_Oh Hermione...Damn it, I'm sorry. Are you alright?" he asked, fumbling in an attempt to sit her up._

"_Hermione?" he asked urgently. Her eyes were fluttering in an odd way, positively alarming him._

"_Ow..."_

"_I'm sorry, sweetheart," he muttered sheepishly. Sighing, he helped her situate herself in the bed, soft pillows pressed against her injury._

_Draco spooned his wife, feeling like a complete ass. It was an accident, obviously, but he still felt bad for causing her such pain. They had been rough before—hell, she liked it better rough—but this was ridiculous._

"_I'm sorry, love," he murmured in her hair. _

_Draco could have sworn he heard her utter, "What a nightmare..." before falling over the brink into a peaceful sleep state._

"Mr. Malfoy?"

"Yes?" he responded, shooting up to meet the young, female healer, standing in a white hospital gown, her blonde hair pulled tightly back.

"Mrs. Malfoy is awake though...well, out of sorts," she muttered uneasily.

"What do you mean 'out of sorts'?" he asked, feeling his palms sweating.

Sighing, she replied, "Mr. Malfoy...we don't...she doesn't know who she is."

Draco's heart plummeted to the pit of his belly while the air was sucked from his chest. Gulping thickly, he whispered, "She doesn't remember me? Anything?"

"When she hit her head, we think it caused a few things to jumble. Now, since it was not something of magical means performed against her, we think it's temporary. She could very well return back to who she is by tomorrow."

"But...wait...she did remember me. She knows who I am, but—"

"As someone who went to school with you Draco," muttered Hannah Abbott, staring down at her shuffling feet, "I don't think this is the girl you married. The Hermione she is now...she somehow reverted to her sixteen year old self."

Draco knew then that all of this had to be a nightmare. Right?

_Right?_

"So she hates me."

It was not a question.

* * *

A/N: Yet another story from me. I'm going to be alternating between this one and 'Evil's Mistress' so for my faithful readers of that story - fear not! I've not given up on it in any way. I just need some variety, you know? The idea of this story came with a mixture of things so I hope you guys like it. I know it's another PostHogwarts fic, but I'm hoping you all will be taken with it.

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	2. Lonesome

A/N: One of my absolute favorite stories on fanfiction has to be the most underappreciated. It is absolutely amazing, filled with detail and a plot I can honestly say I've NEVER read before - it's so freakin' creative! Please take a look at the story _'Everything to Lose' by Heptagon_ - I promise you won't regret it!!

Alright, Happy reading!

**Lonesome - Chapter 2**

"What do I do? What the hell do I do?" asked Draco, more so to himself than anyone surrounding him. Roxanne, his daughter everyone referred to as Roxy, and his son Bailey, were clinging to Blaise Zabini, the first person Draco called after the incident. Ginny, his wife of three years, paced about the wing, pregnant belly protruding.

"Everything will be alright," said Blaise sensibly, "I know it. I mean I know this is bad—"

"Bad? You think this is just bad? My wife bloody hates me!" barked Draco, throwing his hands in the air, waving like a madman, causing two and a half year old Bailey to burst into tears. Blaise picked up the crying tot, comforting him, while Roxy ran over to Ginny, hugging the redhead like no tomorrow. Ginny threw Draco a callous glance before marching over, taking Bailey by the hand, and walking out of the room with both children.

Draco put his face in the palms of his hands, his breath coming out in rapid pants. He fought for control, but all thoughts were on his wife, currently residing in another room, knowing nothing of their life together. What could he do?

"Draco I know you're starting to lose it, but you cannot take it out on your kids. Merlin, what the hell is wrong with you?" Blaise's face looked flushed and infuriated. Draco understood his irritation with him, but he could not help it—he needed his wife.

"I'm sorry," muttered Draco, sitting back up in his hard, uncomfortable chair, "but you must understand how I feel about this. My wife, the love of my life, my whole world, hates me now. How the hell am I suppose to deal with this?"

Blaise sighed. In all honesty, he had no idea what to tell his friend. If he lost Ginny, he'd go positively mad. Aside from his relationship with Ginny, he'd only seen that type of perfection with Draco and Hermione.

Blaise smiled when he thought about the pair...

Draco and Hermione were definitely an odd couple, two people nobody would have foreseen coming together. With Draco's short temper and vast knowledge of esoteric positions mixed with Hermione's controlling outlook and incredible intellect, one would think they'd kill each other if together. However, it was entirely the opposite. Both intelligent beings couldn't have been more perfect for the other. Both believed in loyalty and acumen, each excelling in the former and latter. Not to mention Draco and Hermione surpassed nearly everyone, except for him and Ginny of course, in the appearance department. With Draco's light coloring and sharp features, he had girls swooning at him since he went to Hogwarts. Hermione's outrageous hair mixed with fair skin made her positively lovely. Any guy would be lucky to have her.

Seeing Draco like this, in such obvious and apparent distress over Hermione, made Blaise's heart jump out for his friend.

"You're going to get through this. I promise you, mate. She'll come back to you." Blaise spoke with confidence, but he didn't even believe himself. The words sounded so forced, it was ridiculous. He knew nothing could comfort him, but what else could he do?

Draco exhaled loudly, putting his face back down in his palms. "Tell me. Tell me what I'm suppose to do."

"You're going to pull it together, for Hermione as well as your kids, and then you're going to...deal with this like you always do. You'll approach her and talk things out with her, get her to understand what's going on, and then you'll help her remember you. You'll help her remember her life and everything in it."

"She doesn't know me. Blaise...she knows _Malfoy_. She doesn't know _Draco_," he whispered, his heart breaking along with the words. "For nearly seven years, I haven't spent more than a day away from her. She has barely left the kids and now we're going to have to deal with her at sixteen. How do I explain this to my kids?"

"Your main focus needs to be Hermione," said Blaise firmly. "Ginny and I will take the kids for a few days which will give you some time with Hermione. Just let her get back to what she knows and see what a changed guy you are. Let her get to know you again."

Draco nodded as healer Abbott walked back into the room making the two men jump to their feet.

"How is she?" they both asked simultaneously.

Looking sheepish, she replied, "She said she'll have visitors now."

Draco perked up and began walking toward her room, only to be cut off by Hannah's hand gripping his shoulder.

"She's put limits on the visitors. She'll only see Harry Potter, Ron Weasley, or Ginny Weasley."

If it were possible, which apparently it was, Draco's face paled even more. Whatever fire still burned in his eyes extinguished in an instant.

"I'm sorry Dra—"

She never got a chance to finish. Draco already pushed past her and left the room, completely wounded to the core.

0000000

Hermione ran two hands through her mess of tangled hair, pushing her locks out of her flushed face. She'd been crying all morning, refusing to listen to anyone who did not have Weasley or Potter blood.

_There is just no way. I did not marry Malfoy. There is just no possible way I could marry him! I don't care what happened after the war...I did NOT marry him. I was suppose to end up with Ron and—_

"Hermione?" called a sweet voice from the doorway.

She jerked her head up to face Ginny, standing there in all her pregnant glory. Hermione gasped as the woman walked toward her, her face grim.

"Hey, love," said Ginny warmly, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

"Wh-what...what happened?" she asked, pointing to her belly. Ginny looked down and broke out into a fit of giggles.

"Well, you see when a man and a woman really love each other—"

"I don't need you to patronize me right now," growled Hermione, looking away from her friend. Ginny regretted the joke, honestly an attempt to make her laugh, as she took a seat next to her.

"I'm sorry," she muttered sadly.

Hermione sighed before dropping her head on Ginny's shoulder, closing her eyes when she spoke; "I just don't see how this could happen. There is just no way—"

"There is very much a way because it did happen. It happened a long time ago and you need to understand that it wasn't a bad thing."

"HOW COULD THIS NOT BE A BAD THING?!" barked Hermione, fury overtaking her. It would be one thing for her to just come in and explain, but to tell her that a life with Malfoy was well chosen and loved...bloody preposterous!

"How dare you say something like that? And where the hell are Harry and Ron? I would have thought they'd be the first ones here."

Ginny's face turned even more pallid at Hermione's words, having no idea how to approach the question. Hermione locked herself into a prior life, filled with her two best friends. Unbeknownst to the girl now, those friends were long since gone.

"Hermione," sighed Ginny breathily, absolutely no idea how to approach this extremely sensitive subject. Pushing aside her thoughts about her beloved brother and former, yet still very loved, boyfriend, the thought of telling Hermione this positively mortified her. How do you tell someone this?!

"Love...Oh Merlin, I don't want to relive this," she breathed, feeling tears already prickling the back of her eyes at the thought of her brother and Harry.

Ginny felt the mentally young girl stiffen next to her, obviously sensing the tension in her tight voice. Hermione looked up at her, brown eyes pleading for answers. Finally, she asked, "Where are they?"

_What do I do? Do I lie? No–I have never lied to her. I'm not going to start now. But still...how do I tell her?_

After a long silence, Ginny opened her mouth to speak, knowing full well the words would forever hurt her friend; "Love, Harry and Ron...they're both gone. They, um, died in the war. Both standing to defend everything we have now. They died bravely."

The girl with dark hair, the girl who'd been known as one of the greatest witches of all time, just sat there on the bed. Ginny watched with an offbeat fascination at her blank stare, wondering what the hell was wrong.

Ginny leaned back, nearly terrified by the girl's reaction in having expected something much more flamboyant and outwardly distraught. It struck her odd given Hermione's initial reaction to the news about Harry and Ron. She'd been badly wounded, waking up in the hospital a week after the war ended, finding out entirely about Ron and Harry much the same way; by Ginny...

_Hermione's groggy eyes stared at the redhead, her chest rising and falling in rapid pants at the news she'd just received. Hermione expected to wake up to find her two best friends at the very least safe next to her in a hospital bed. The pain she felt...almost indescribable._

_Almost._

_Hermione felt a grief so acute that her body literally sagged with anguish. Crushing against the headboard behind her head, a tear slowly trickled down her cheek, sobs filled inside of her like liquid sand, preparing to burst out through the confines of her skin. Hermione felt a loss so deep, so profound, she desperately wished death had been merciful enough to claim her back on the battle field._

No...it can't be true. It can't be true. It's not true...it's not. This all just some crazy dream and I'm really in my bed in Gryffindor Tower, safe, and dreadfully NEED TO WAKE UP!

_Rocking herself back and forth, the news overwhelming her completely, the tears started to fall in buckets while the sobs escaped her lips in near droughts. Ginny leaned over to console her friend, but Hermione stopped her in the wake—_

"_Don't touch me! Nobody should have touched me then! I was suppose to die back there with them, WITH HONOR, and not be left here without them!"_

"_Hermione you must calm down," said Ginny softly, gently trying to push her very wounded friend back in the bed. Hermione, however, completely filled with rage and adrenaline, knocked Ginny back. Having caught her off-guard, the redhead fell to the ground, landing in a heap on the floor._

"_Just get out! GET OUT!" screamed Hermione, looking more deranged than sad. The days following the news, Hermione refused to see anyone and most found her at such a loss, they predicted she'd do herself harm..._

However, the death she desperately wanted never came. Instead a life began, after many long and grieving years, and the life she gained now seemed foreign to her. Ginny didn't know what to do and the reaction to the news about her two friends frightened her so. _Why would she react like this when she did not upon waking after the actual deaths? Wouldn't it not be the other way around?_

"Hermione?" she asked hesitantly, unsure of how to approach the girl.

Hermione swallowed thickly before she said, "I think I always knew. I somehow knew they'd be heroes. It was their destiny, wasn't it?"

Ginny nodded dumbly, inwardly terrified of what Hermione would do when the pain actually seeped in.

"It's like it's all a dream and I'm just learning about what's to come. Am I going to wake up soon? Am I going...going to find out that Harry and Ron are really okay? That this hasn't happened?" All the questions felt like daggers plunging in Ginny's heart because she'd have to be honest, to break the spirit of this lost girl. "Is this a chance to stop it all before their deaths?"

Ginny looked away, a tear sliding down her flushed cheek. Her voice was so soft, so _pleading_, she didn't want to say no. She did not want to ruin Hermione's hopes.

She had to. Damn it, she bloody had to.

"I'm sorry, love, no. This is not a dream and you're very much grown up. Ron and Harry...they're both gone. I'm so sorry."

Choking on tears, Ginny turned away and immediately fled the room, unable to continue answering Hermione's innocently despairing questions. Blaise and Draco rose to their feet, both shocked and alarmed by Ginny's sorrowful state. Blaise ran to his distressed wife, engulfing her into an embracing, comforting hug, allowing her to weep on his shoulder. Looking over his wife, he saw Draco sigh when a nurse pushed him back, keeping him out of the room.

Hermione refused to have anyone enter the room for the rest of the day including Ginny. The nurses were in a frenzy attempting to get the young girl to speak, but Hermione's lips clamped shut. The healers feared the shocking discovery of finding out such horrible occurrences in her life, a life she knew nothing of, turned out to be too much for the poor girl. _Shock_—she entered a mode of shock and nobody knew how to pull her out of it.

Draco, all the while, had not been handling the situation well at all. Instead of spending time consoling his children, he acted aloof towards them, leaving Ginny to comfort the grieving tots. Draco, a man barely at the age of twenty-seven, found himself overwhelmed with intense sorrow at the loss of his wife. Yes, her body lived on and he hoped she would not be gone forever_—Dear Merlin, I have to get her back; I'll die without her!_—but at the moment, he did not have her. Draco usually worried and worked himself up whereas Hermione usually remained calm and collected, a perfect balance between the two. So here Draco was, apart from the woman he had been with for the past nine years, completely at a loss for how to handle himself.

The isolation between Hermione and the rest of the world lasted for nearly four more days, with Draco spending every moment outside of the room. Blaise attempted to remove him from St. Mungo's, but he had none of it. Meanwhile, Ginny remained in the quaint house she and Blaise purchased one year prior with the children, both crying during various times during the day, terribly missing their mother and father.

On that fourth day, a healer emerged to speak with a very drained Draco.

"Mr. Malfoy?" said the tall healer, walking into the waiting room to meet Draco and Blaise.

Draco looked up, expecting to hear him say, 'I'm terribly sorry, but Miss Granger will not be seeing anyone today.' She'd been asked to be called Granger from the moment she woke up, another kick in the head for Draco. However, the words leaving the healer's mouth today differed.

"Miss Granger would like to see you today."

Draco almost fell over on the words, sagging against the chair like a former drowning man trying to regain surroundings. _Is this true? Am I really going to see my wife? I get to speak with her?_

"She requested to speak with you Mr. Malfoy," he repeated, figuring, correctly, Draco needed to hear the words again.

"What made her come around?" asked Blaise, a hand firmly clasping his friend's shoulder.

The healer shrugged and replied, "The various healers, including myself, along with several nurses coaxed her into it. We've been pushing for her to speak with her husband."

Draco felt blood rushing to his head, nerves hitting him. Hermione was going to speak with him and he damn well would not pass up the opportunity. Without so much as a glance toward the healer and a mere nod to Blaise, Draco sighed before entering Hermione's room.

The blond man expected to find with dry eyes, but tears stood in the chocolate abyss he loved so much. He opened his mouth to speak, but closed it, not really sure of what to say.

"Why isn't this all a dream?" she asked meekly.

Draco looked up to see her staring at him. He ran a hand though his slick hair, a nervous gesture, before walking as unthreateningly possible toward her.

"Um...I, uh..." Draco hated himself for not being able to better articulate, but confusion kept him from answering her; he still didn't know what Ginny had told her.

"This is my life, I s'pose. I have no Harry, no Ron, and I'm m-married to my enemy," she whispered, breaking Draco's heart, "and I...I don't remember any of it. I don't remember their funerals or marrying you or if I even loved you. Did I love you?"

Draco met her scared eyes, petrified of how to respond. It was not a matter of knowing the answer–he knew it all right. He knew Hermione loved him more than most could dream possible, the feeling extremely mutual in their relationship–but how precisely to say it? Should he simply blurt out yes without giving her more personal information or what? How could he go about it?

"Malfoy?" she asked questioningly.

"Well, yeah. Yes, you love me. You love me very much and bloody Merlin, I love you even more!"

Draco lost control with his hysteria, the mania which mounted upon more panic from the moment Hermione hit her head. A mixture of grief, emotional hurt, and guilt racked his body, him tugging at his hair like a raving lunatic. Hermione, who only knew the boy she'd grown up with, a boy she'd always despised and somewhat feared, shielded herself away from him. Draco instantly regretted having the mini-breakdown as it obviously caused her much distress. Realizing the situation and knowing Hermione the way he did, even if she thought of herself at sixteen in the moment, he knew what he had to do. Hermione was someone who shut out people completely and would not open up once closed so he had to be calm. If he remained calm and collected, he_ might_ be able to get her to speak.

"I'm sorry," he muttered tiredly, rubbing his temple in slow circles, fighting off a new wave of headache pains. The girl refused to lift up from her crouched position, clinging to her pillow for dear life. Draco did not object and instead found it easier to speak to her with her back facing him.

"I–I shouldn't have broken down like that and I'm sorry. This is all confusing to me as well—"

"You at least know who you are," she interjected sharply, her voice slightly muffled by her pillow, "whereas I have no idea about anything regarding my entire life!"

Her sobs filled the room, wounding Draco with each muffled cry. He desperately wanted to hold her, to comfort her, but he could not. He could not touch her when she clearly despised everything about him.

After a few minutes of listening to her chocked tears, he shocked her and himself when he lightly laughed, whispering, "It's amazing how well you're doing. You kind of just accepted the situation without regard to anything else."

Hearing her sigh, he watched her sit up from her crying state, savagely wiping her leaking eyes with the back of her freckled arm; "well what else can I do? Everyone is telling me the same story and all of my friends, and _enemies_, are grown up. What else can I believe?" Knowing the taunt was coming from sixteen-year-old Hermione did not make the blunt of it any less hurtful. She continued, "Besides...after spending half of my life in the muggle world and the other half in the wizarding, I've learned to handle surprises and astonishing incidents, such as this–" she gestured toward the two of them, using her hands to move between herself and Draco–"with much ease. I guess...I'm just use to it."

Draco leaned back in the chair he claimed a few minutes prior, rubbing his face with his rough hands. Hermione, though still shedding silent tears, remained relatively composed as she stared at the man.

"I don't know what to do," he admitted, removing his hands from his pale face. Hermione could see he looked worn and haggard, like a beautiful man who spent several nights in the dark.

Leaning back herself, she said, "I...I don't know what to say. I mean...I'd like my memories back, even if they involve you."

"Thanks," he muttered harshly, her words chaffing him.

"I'm sorry, but you must understand how I feel about this, Malfoy. I mean...I never imagined myself in this life I'm obviously in—big house, kids, _you_, and so forth. All of this is new to me. Not to mention...I don't have my friends anymore."

Draco leaned forward, causing her to jerk back somewhat. He originally planned on grasping her hand, kissing the supple skin before he spoke, but decided against it upon her fearful reaction. He knew it would be a long while before she'd let him touch her—hell, if she _ever_ let him touch her.

"Look," he drawled, staring at her intently, "I understand you're scared and probably confused out of your bloody mind. However, I'm...I am going to be here for you throughout this whole thing. I am not sure whether my word means anything to you right now, but you have it none the less."

Hermione gulped and nodded slowly, unsure about the man before her. He sounded sincere and after spending four days basically alone, she dreadfully wanted to believe the man before her.

"Then what are we going to do? I mean...h-how do we go about this?" she asked, looking away from his stare.

She heard him sigh before muttering, "I um...I asked Ginny and Blaise to—"

"Blaise?! As in Blaise Zabini?" she interjected, unaware her best female friend married Draco's very own best mate. Draco gulped thickly, realizing there would be so much they'd have to go through, basic personal things, some of which only he would know, in order for her to even know her own life.

"Yes, I meant Blaise Zabini," he said flatly.

"Why would he—"

"We have so much we have to talk about," he interpolated woefully, "and I promise you we'll go over everything. I will help you reconnect with your life."

Hermione nodded. "Well um...what were you saying before I..."

"Right, well, I spoke with Ginny and Blaise. I asked them to take Roxy and Bailey for a little while just so...we...can have some time alone. I think it might be best for us to spend a few days getting to know each other before you reacquaint yourself with the kids."

The thought of spending time alone with Malfoy terrified her to say the least. Nonetheless, she knew handling the situation like an adult, the adult she supposedly was, seemed logical and practical, two very Hermioneish qualities.

Feeling unable to speak aloud, she nodded. She'd be going home with Draco Malfoy...to a house...to _her _house...to a life she didn't know. _The next few days are going to be just so much fun_, she thought mordantly.

0000000

When the couple arrived to Malfoy Manor, Hermione looked paler than Malfoy himself. They'd used the floo to reach their destination and upon entry, Hermione gasped again at the magnificence of the house. Their home did not expel a sense of gaudiness, but classic elegance, another trait belonging to Hermione. It was everything she ever wanted for a home.

_Probably why I live here._

She must have spoke aloud for in the next instant Draco asked, "What was that, love?"

She peered at him awkwardly before muttering, "Can you please stop calling me 'love'? I feel...I just am not ready for that."

Draco's face contorted for a moment in agony, but it vanished quickly, his ability to hide emotions overtaking him. He motioned for her toward the staircase to where they ascended with a slow pace. Hermione failed to notice Draco's radiating sadness, far too consumed with the gorgeous interior.

"This way," he called out, her still wandering behind him. Realizing just how slow she moved and how far ahead he already was, she raced to catch up, bumping into him when he stopped in front of two large doors.

"Sorry," she muttered, a faint blush spreading along her chalky cheeks.

Without responding, Draco opened the doors to reveal the lavish room Hermione woke up in several days before. Her eyes widened in aghast, realizing his intentions;

_It's night. It's night and we're in the bedroom. We're m-married so I guess we've...bloody hell, OF COURSE we have considering we have children. That means we'll be sharing a bed and oh Merlin—_

"I'll sleep downstairs," he uttered sadly.

"Huh?" she responded lamely, looking up at him with fright dancing in her eyes. He saw her apprehension and suspicions the moment they entered and knew she feared him. Not wanting her to feel uncomfortable, he just acted accordingly.

"I said I'll sleep downstairs. That way...you'll have the room to yourself and you can have some time to better adjust without me around." Hermione could tell he felt miserable and obviously hated the idea, but no objections were to be made. He continued, "I'll just grab my sleeping pants and I'll be out of your way."

She watched with a sort of detached fascination as he walked around the room, clearly knowing every nook and cranny. His easy movements and graceful, flowing walk actually made him seem charming, like some poised cat. Before she knew it, he was at the door, preparing to leave.

"Thank you," she whispered softly.

Draco stopped at the door, but kept his back to her. Exhaling fully, he muttered, "Good night Hermione."

He shut the door behind him, leaving her to the room which felt so foreign and big and daunting and...lonesome.

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A/N: I can't put into words how much your comments all meant to me. Thank you so much for your support. I know you all trust me and know I would NEVER do that, so I appreciate you all so much. I hope this chapter made up for the long wait. The next ones will be fun - Memories to come!

TELLus - I'm still waiting to know what story I supposedly copied. Since you haven't gotten back to me, I'm starting to doubt you were even referring to an actual story. Tsk tsk...you should not accuse unless you have proper proof, my dear.

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	3. Demanding Dismay

A/N: Happy Birthday to me! Lol, it's not for three days, but I'm someone who likes to give back. Hehe, this is the best I can do via fanfiction - so here, a new chapter, is my birthday gift to you guys! I hope that made sense :)

Happy reading!

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**Demanding Dismay - Chapter 3**

Hermione yawned hugely as she stretched across the large bed, feeling the luscious, silvery material mingling with her lower limbs. In the distance, she could hear the faint drizzle of morning rain. Having spent most of the night awake, waking up in unfamiliar surroundings did not shock nor alarm her. Not necessarily coming to terms, she slowly started to realize that this was the truth; this was her life.

Gulping thickly, knowing the day would revolve around her spending time with none other than her arch nemesis, she removed her sleep heavy body from the bed. The tepid floor warmed her as she walked toward the door, terrified of what would come.

_I'm a Gryffindor. I can do this. I have done this and apparently many times. Just go talk to him. After all, he is your husband._

Stepping outside, a lovely scent of morning breakfast filled her nose, instantly making her mouth water. Having eaten very little over the course of several days, not to mention crying to the point of exhaustion during various intervals, food sounded positively brilliant. Wiping her dark eyes with the back of her forearm, she moved through the hall and down the staircase, the only area of the house she had any familiarity with. However, upon reaching the lower floor, she didn't really know which way to go next.

"Um..." she mumbled, an anxious gesture in hopes of someone seeing her presence and helping her find the kitchen. "'ello?"

"Right in here," she heard a gruff voice call from a distance. Moving swiftly, she moved through a long room, the scent nearly becoming painful. Something smelled absolutely delicious—

"Good morning."

Hermione saw several plates of both pancakes and waffles sitting steamily on the plain table, Draco standing as though at attention. He looked nervous and she could not exactly say she felt anymore serene than him. Breakfast almost didn't seem appealing anymore. _Almost._

"I um..." he began, looking flustered and running a hand through his blond hair; "made all of your favorites. I wasn't sure what you would want this morning and I gather that you're starving considering you didn't eat too much yesterday."

Hermione knew gawking ruined sweet moments, but she could not do anything else. _Who is this? Screw whether this is Malfoy or not—what kind of man does this? _She realized all to well what kind of man does that; _a man in love._

"Hermione?"

Feeling her throat constrict, she settled for nodding. He pulled out a chair, motioning for her to sit, a gallant gesture Hermione certainly did not mind. Walking slowly, she noted the kitchen and took in the simplicity. The kitchen seemed so much like her, complete with both muggle and magical products. For everything which required a wand, there seemed to be a counter-product, something non-magical, to accomplish the task just as well. One cabinet door was open, looking askew due to someone rushing around, not bothering to shut it. Inside she could see various objects; a common household blender, numerous bottles labeled 'salad dressing potion', a silver grater, a few containers of 'Insta-Dinner—Merlin's Magical Remedy for Hungry Bellies!' (a muggle's version of a microwave-able dinner). Hermione could imagine herself wrapped in an apron dancing around the kitchen as she prepared a meal. The kitchen did well to suit her, to define her personality. Growing up and going to Hogwarts she always faired to remind herself that she belonged to both the wizarding world as well as the muggle world. The kitchen just seemed very much her.

However, that was digressing—reverting back to the subject at hand; Draco offered her a plate, filled to the top with waffles and pancakes.

"What's on it?" questioned Hermione, her brows knit as she noticed a pink topping on the thin fried cakes.

Draco smiled, muttering, "Strawberry and raspberry jelly, you're favorite. You always smother it on even though you claim it makes you gain weight." She watched him reminisce, remembering something of their life together she didn't know.

"Oh," was all she could manage. He seemed satisfied, looking down to his own plate and reverting his attention to his breakfast.

An awkward silence captivated the kitchen, neither of them generating any conversation what-so-ever. Every few moments glances would exchange, but mostly they kept to themselves. Hermione did, however, have to admit that Malfoy was an exceptional cook. Within a few minutes her plate was clean.

"I'll help with the dishes," she said, rising from her seat.

"It's alright—"

Draco began to stand up, but Hermione jerked at his sudden movement, dropping two plates on the floor and shattering them both. She looked down ruefully, gripping the bottom of her shirt with clenched fists.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, instantly dropping to her knees in an attempt to pick up the plates. Draco walked around the table and dropped to his feet, watching her with an odd sort of fascination. Finally, after Hermione had done little to clean up the mess except create more of one, Draco flicked his wand to be rid of it all together. Hermione remained on her knees, looking at the clean as glass floor with slight fury. Everything seemed to be wrong...just wrong.

Draco walked around the table and held out his hand, a small gesture which she seemed able to accept. He pulled her to her feet, an easy task, before nearly collapsing himself as his knees did suddenly feel woozy. He caught a sniff of her hair, the absolutely gorgeous hair he loved so much, and he wanted nothing more than to throw her down, rip off her...

But he couldn't do that, not anymore, at least. She, obviously, thought his presence invaded her personal bubble for she yanked away from him quickly.

"So," she said, doing fine at changing the subject, "I um...well, what are we going to do today?"

"Whatever you want," he muttered, sitting back down at the table.

She looked puzzled, like a teenager asked to choose what she wanted for dinner. Hermione had no clue as to how to approach the man let alone what to do with him alone. _Surely we can just talk. I highly doubt he'd want to do anything considering how bad he looks. What would the Slytherins say now if they saw their leader looking so haggard? Damn, the boy looks positively gaunt. _Then it hit her—_But he's not a boy. Malfoy is a full-grown man and I am his w-wife. Oh, what have I gotten myself in to?_

"Perhaps you can show me around the place? I did sort of get lost on my way down here this morning," she said sheepishly, hating herself for feeling so incompetent in her own bloody house. _Well, new house actually. In all honesty, this is only the second time I've really been here._

"That would be fine," he answered, jumping to his feet, excited he'd finally get to do something with her. "The house is rather vast so we've got a lot to see. Do you...um, do you feel up to walking around so much?"

"I feel fine," she muttered, more harshly than she'd intended, but this was Malfoy after all! How the hell does someone just wake up and accept something like this? She'd have to be bonkers to do so.

Draco tensed, but did not say anything. He closed his eyes, fought off the intense need to howl out in frustrated rage, won, and started moving out of the kitchen with Hermione trailing behind him. He would not be arrogant enough to let himself believe he was suffering more than her, a girl who knew nothing of her own damn life; but he should have. If any outsider looked in on the two, Draco would receive the sympathy for he was dealing with the blunt of this. Not only did his wife hate him, but he still had to take care of his two children and maintain his composure all the while. Poor Draco...nobody deserved that.

He led her into the sitting room, a room off the west end of the house, usually where they entertained guests they were unfamiliar with or guests not planning to stay. The beige walls fit well with the light furniture, a serene setting capable of calming anyone. Hermione brushed her fingers across the lace material draped over the glass table and beneath the off-white lamp. A single framed picture laid on the tabletop, attracting the attention for most of the room had been decorated plain. Inside of the frame was a picture, one Hermione was featured in. The sixteen-year-old looked at her older self sitting with Draco, their two children placed on their laps; she holding the boy, he the girl. Together they looked ideal and as she became overwhelmed by the sight, her toes scrunched the soft carpet, letting the flooring blanket massage her sensitive feet.

"That was taken about seven months ago at Blaise's birthday picnic. It was just us, him, and Ginny, but it was fun. He played with the kids before Ginny finally told him she was pregnant. I don't think I've seen a more happier guy." Draco smirked, running his fingers across the picture, outlining Hermione's figure in the frame.

"We look happy," she observed, almost sadly.

"Surprised?" he asked her, looking away from the picture to meet her dark eyes. She appeared to think the question over before shaking her head slowly.

"No," she muttered finally, "I guess not. I just...I always knew I'd be happy when I was a mother and a wife and...whatever it looks like I've become. I knew I'd be happy."

"Hermione...we were happy. We _are_ happy and we'll get there again—"

"So what other rooms are there?" she asked, cutting him off, obviously not keen about finishing the conversation she only started subconsciously. Draco nodded, walking out of the greeting area. They entered into the south end of the back portion of the house, directly in front of the back deck. The large area, covered from wall to wall with pictures and family memorabilia, obviously served to entertain the family as well as close friends. Several dark couches lined the wall with cabinets and tables abreast, filling out the lovely room. A few toys were scattered hither, a ball or doll here and there; other than that, it was kept clean and neat. Hermione did not find this odd seeing as she was meticulous by nature; always keeping everything neat. One would almost think she had OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder) considering how organized everything was, as though nothing could be clean enough for her. Also, though she did not know Draco on a personal level, she knew damn well by spending several years with him Potions that he organized just like her. Really, it was no shock to see everything so well-kept.

There was a noise in the background, a young voice, catching her attention.

"Sounds like the floo-network. I'll be right back." Draco cantered out of the room, allowing her time to look at the various pictures lining the wall. Numerous photographs of their life together drew her in.

The first one she really looked at was suspended near a dark lamp, encompassed in a plain black frame. The occupants of the picture were none other than her and Draco, smiling wholeheartedly at the observer. Every few moments she would turn to him, press a soft kiss on his stubbly cheek, bat her brown eyes, and then turn back to the camera, the two laughing all the while. She could see his arms snaking around her midsection, gently rubbing over the small lasting love-handles born from two pregnancies.

In the present time, Hermione almost did not want to believe the image could actually be real. _This just...it can't be happening. How could I love someone like that?! How could I love someone who valued his own pure blood than anything else? Malfoy believes in nothing except appearances and money. The man was nothing more than a mercenary, out to gain only for himself._

Then it struck her where she was and the home life she supposedly built with him. Sure, the house was large, but when she thought about it, the place had not been overly done up. There were no gaudy pieces of furniture made from pure gold or imported materials covering the chamber's floor. The house created a sense of elegance and refined taste. The house seemed...well, to be perfectly honest, more like her. If the man was such a selfish ingrate, then pray tell why would anything be like her?

_I could be wrong about him. I must be wrong about him. If I loved him once...I mean I'm not a fool and I don't just trust people on a galleon..._

"He can't be all bad," she muttered aloud, unaware the words even left her mouth.

Back to the picture, they just looked so involved with one another, wrapped tightly in the others' embrace. Hermione had to turn away.

Realizing Malfoy left some time ago, she sought off after him. She remembered him exiting out the other door, opposite from the one they'd entered. After passing a dark room, the darkness literally obscuring the room completely from her view, she met a side hall. Gulping nervously, she walked quietly and listened out for his voice. Eventually she heard it, upon reaching the end of the landing. She leaned against the door and nudged it open, only slightly, as to allow her the ability to see and hear in. She saw him hunched in front of a fireplace, talking to someone by floo.

"...when can we come home?" asked a high-pitched, female voice.

"Soon baby," muttered Malfoy in the most paternal voice she'd ever heard; "Soon. I just need to spend some more time with your mum. She is still sick, you know."

Hermione almost felt like crying out on the words. Malfoy was comforting his sweet daughter, _their_ sweet daughter, and really it was her fault for causing the problem in the first place.

"But I miss you! And Bailey misses you too and Aunt Ginny is so big that she can't play with us anymore." The whiny voice sounded so adorable, melting Hermione's heart.

Draco, however, did not seem to find it as delightful as she did; "Roxanne, you cannot do that. You know you're Aunt Ginny is getting ready to have a little baby and she certainly needs rest. Please, you and your brother need to take it easy. Go bother your Uncle Blaise."

"We already did," she snorted, "but I don't think he liked it."

"I gathered that by the sound of your voice," quipped Malfoy. "Look, you're the oldest and I would really love for you to watch out for your little brother. Can you be my big girl?"

After a long pause she muttered, "Fine," before continuing on into a babbled rant. Hermione smiled before closing the door and venturing back into the previous room she occupied.

Feeling a little affection toward the child and guilty at having listened in on their conversation, she moved around to stare at the other pictures. Most were of the children, always together as though extremely close. Having been an only child, she only knew the relationships between the Weasley siblings, all differing into near pairs. Bill and Charlie, the eldest brothers, always had a kinship between each other. Though Bill's life revolved around Fleur and Charlie's around his dragons, they managed to find time for one another, never letting anything break up their brotherly bond. _Probably why the two always look so...well, pretty cool. I mean they both have their faces sliced off, one from a werewolf and the other from dragon burns, and that, in turn, forms another strong bond. It's obvious why they're so close_. Moving on, she thought of the twins: silly Fred and George. Twins typically shared a bond with one another, but none so strong as the red-headed brothers. Alike in not only appearance but personality, the two rarely did anything without each other. _I bet they'll be buried side by side, and beneath their joke shop._ She laughed to herself as she thought about the youngest of the lot. Ron and Ginny displayed an affection most would miss, had they not known them as well as she did. Growing up, the two were always with each other; and though they rarely said it aloud, the two would do anything for the other. Ron and Ginny protected the other more than perhaps anyone. Ron always had the notion of over-protective brother, and though she whined about it, everyone knew she was just as protective of him. Nobody would dare mess with one while the other was around or even if they were not, they dare not knowing the future consequences. Ron and Ginny definitely radiated a sibling bond very few could possibly understand. Hermione could not help but smile whenever thinking about the brother and sister bickering at the burrow, once more arguing over who played the better match of wizard chess. Then, of course, there was the middle child of Percy, far from the favorite. He never connected with any of his siblings in particular and though his relationship all but ended during Hermione's fifth year, she knew they all loved him. The sibling bond is hard to break and dare say, nearly impossible to kill. By the looks of the many pictures adoring the wall, the two children supposedly born from her body shared that type of connection.

Not saying every picture featured the children, Hermione and Draco appeared in several scattered along the walls and tables. Mostly of them staring at the onlooker with wide smiles or laughter on the breath. Nonetheless, there were variances. A few had been candid shots, ones in which they knew nothing of the picture being taken. Those were the pictures Hermione thought most intimate and...real. In those photographs, Hermione could witness their love in a more plain sight, almost in verbatim.

One in particular caught her attention of them sitting on, what looked like, a balcony, staring out into the night sky. The picture Draco and Hermione appeared to be going over the constellations, challenging one another to see who could name 'The Big Dipper' faster or who spotted 'Draco' first. His hand captivated her interest the most, seeing as he kept tracing the words 'I love you' across her lower back. Every few seconds, picture Hermione would lean against his shoulder, draping her face close to his neck and breathing in his scent. Tracing patterns and soft scents dug deeper than a casual 'I love you' comment any day.

"I never thought that day would come."

His soft voice sent a chill up her spine in a familiar sense, sending her into a shock wave. It was deep, husky, and positively rough, the way she loved a boy's voice—_No!_ _He is a man and I am a woman. I'm grown up now so I must start acting like it. He is a man._

"Why?" she asked, after clearing her throat.

"Well," he began, standing next to her and staring at the picture as well; "let's just say certain incidents happened before that picture was taken. Mistakes had been made. However, we got through it and staring up into those stars with you...ended up being one of the greatest nights of my life."

Hermione swallowed a dry throat, asking, "W-why? What exactly did we...I mean, what happened that night _exactly_?"

Draco smirked, knowing precisely what was going on in her intelligent mind. Normally he'd love to tease, but not like this; not when she still did not trust him. Give it a little more time and then he'd try to get back into the friendly banter he regularly enjoyed with his wife.

"We'll get to that later. I think before you know who we were as a couple, you probably need to be more comfortable with me, right?"

She nodded instantly, making him chuckle lightly.

"Well I guess we can look at the rest of the house later. Why don't you question me? Ask me anything you want and I'll answer."

He sat down on the soft looking couch, his blond hair sweeping behind him. Hermione chewed at her lip nervously.

"You'll answer anything? Even really personal things?" she asked, causing him to promptly burst into laughter.

"Hermione we're married. You already know everything about me and we don't keep secrets. I mean...sure, I'm a private person and it's rare for me to open up to people. However, you're the only one I tell anything to." He spoke so evenly, so open, that she knew he was being honest. "You should also know," he continued, breaking her thoughts; "the feelings were mutual. You told me everything."

"How is that possible? How did we get here and how did...how the hell did I fall in love with you? _With you_?! It's not bloody possible and I don't want to believe it!" She started pacing, her blood pressure and breathing levels rising. Everything seemed wrong and it was wrong. There was just no way this could be a reality! "I am smarter than this. I am smart enough to see through facades and charm and—"

"Yes, you are," he interjected, "I know that so don't you think you'd see through me if I had made attempts solely through that notion?"

"Maybe you had me under the Imperious?! Maybe you had me under some form of magic because it had to be that way. I don't fall in love with people like you. I don't fall in love with death eaters and evil people who kill my friends. You were on their side, the bloody side that killed the only men I've ever loved. I was in love with Ron and I know deep down, though he may have only showed it on occasions, that he loved me right back!"

Draco never felt more resentment toward Ron Weasley than he did right then. The man never registered as a friend, but he sure as hell didn't hate him. Hermione's words ignited a jealousy in him, one which someone might be able to confuse with hate. _I'm jealous of a dead man. Wow, I've lost my mind._

"You were this despicable kid growing up and there is no doubt in my mind the years brought little change in you. I don't even want to think about who you are now!" Her voice was hoarse, all the screaming parching her throat.

Draco smiled wanly, looking like a wounded puppy. "It's like you want to break everything off. That you want to believe that I am some evil henchman of darkness, keeping you here against your will," he said abruptly. _Well, not entirely abruptly. I did just bite his head off, but I'm hurting here!_

The blond man stood from his seat and walked across the room, stopping once he reached the doorway.

"I know you're angry and I'm not going to pretend to question why. I'll give you space and whatever you need—"

"I need to stay with Ginny. I need to get away from you," she snarled. She didn't even hear him wince upon her words.

After a moment, he continued, "Fine. I'll talk to Ginny and you can stay there. I'll bring the kids home. I'll...um...I'll do whatever you want. Hermione...you..." He did not bother to finish, leaving the room in a fluid motion, ignoring the impulse to turn around when he heard her sobbing behind him.

0000000

"Is there anything you need?" asked Ginny, rubbing her belly as she leaned against the door frame of the guest room, Hermione's current residence. She shook her head slowly before Ginny said, "Alright. Well I'm off to bed and...if you need anything then just let me know."

Hermione didn't respond, forcing Ginny to take her cue and exit.

She rolled over, staring out of the window at the moon, thinking about the day's events. Just as Draco had said, he had called Ginny and within an hour, she was at her place. The kids left with their father, albeit they cried out for their mother who seemingly ignored them. She couldn't help it; _I'm sixteen! I'm not suppose to be a mother at sixteen!_ The back of her mind snapped at her; _grow up! Well, actually I am grown up and this is all just a mess and everything is screwed up and I hate it and—AHH! _

The girl was confused.

Rolling over on the opposite side, she finally fell into a restless sleep...

_Walking along in a soft white coat, Hermione clutched her book and coffee, focusing on the former and carelessly lapping at the latter. Careless described her drinking ethics solely because her entire attitude was careless with the coffee. _

_First look at coffee, a very important drink for many avid workers. Coffee is dark, distinctly smells, stimulated by an enormous amount of caffeine, and, most importantly, stains clothes upon contact. The last component caused Hermione her troubles that morning and, eventually, led to her sheer bliss and happiness. _

_Hermione, engrossed in reading about the fourth use of dragon blood, did not register her surroundings as well as she should have. The 'clickity-clack' of her black high heels and sound of heavy traffic drowned out the noise of a man's dress shoes. _

_WHAM!_

_Hermione suddenly found herself on the ground, covered in dark coffee and soaking in her ruined white, belted jacket. Plus, she grumbled to herself when she saw her book lain askew in a puddle._

"_Great," she whinged, "just great."_

"_Terribly sorry," said a deep voice above her, a hand suddenly on her shoulder. "I was not really looking where I was going."_

"_I'd love to say it was the only cause. My eyes were cast downward so we're both to blame," she muttered, moving some dirt from her formerly white coat._

_The man held out his hand and offered, "Here, let me help you up."_

_Hermione took her hand without hesitation, without any second thoughts, and allowed herself to be whisked into this stranger's grasp. Wearing heels in slick weather does not do well for a girl and the same went for Hermione who slipped. She fell directly into the man, him grasping her by the waist and keeping her hoisted upright._

"_Whoa, you alright?" he asked._

_Simultaneously nodding and laughing, she looked up to thank the kind stranger face to face, before she went around the alley to clean up her jacket via wand. Looking up, she gasped in awe, meeting icy blue eyes she recognized._

"_Malfoy?" she squeaked, much louder than normal._

_Smiling, he said, "Hello Miss Granger. How are you doing?" He sounded calm which annoyed Hermione. She hated being overly anxious when she was the only one not calm. _

"_Granger?"_

"_I'm doing fine. Thank you for asking," she replied politely, regaining composure. "Well, aside from the coffee ruining my favorite jacket."_

"_I apologize for that, but if I do recall–" his hand gesturing toward her pocket–"you certainly have a means of fixing it. However, if you don't feel capable—"_

"_I am more than capable," she hissed, making him chuckle lightly._

_They were silent for a moment before Hermione broke it, sighing deeply; "I need to go. I have...a million things to do today and I really should fix this before the coffee sets..."_

"_Have dinner with me," he said easily. Hermione jerked up so rapidly that she nearly fell over in astonishment. _

"_Pardon?"_

"_I would like for you to have dinner with me," he repeated, again easily._

_Confused, she asked, "Why?"_

_He ran his long fingers through his blond hair, his other hand resting casually in his coat pocket. "I am a single guy and I just bumped into a beautiful girl on the street, ruining her jacket. Isn't it sort of customary to take her out to dinner? I mean it's what your muggle movies tell all of us."_

"_You watch muggle movies?" she asked with a smirk._

"_On occasions. So what about that date?" he asked, moving his hand previously slicked through his baby fine hair into his pocket._

"_So it's a date now? Draco Malfoy is asking me on a date?" Hermione said, sounding entirely unconvinced._

"_We're suppose to put our differences behind us, right? I know we were _vicious_ to each other in school, but we're adults. Plus, I read about you all the time and I'd like to know if all those stories about you are true."_

"_Trust me, they're not," she grumbled._

"_This is a good way to vent about the press then. So, dinner?"_

_Hermione sighed, thinking over the situation. First of all, it was unlike her to just accept dates. She received them regularly, mostly from upper-class wizards looking to score a date with the most eligible witch and the only survivor of the 'Golden Trio' - at least that was how all the magazines referred to her. However, she never accepted any of those. The last date she'd actually accepted had been with Blaise Zabini, solely because she knew him in school. The evening went well, but they quickly realized their personalities clashed. Not to mention, Hermione dealt with certain issues most people never do; inner demons, one could say. So, the two parted on good terms and went their own separate ways. Since then, Hermione ignored suitors and thoughts about romance. Until now..._

"_Okay. On you?"_

"_It wouldn't be a date if it weren't. I'll meet you at_ The Broken Wand_ in Diagon Alley at eight sharp."_

"_I'll be there," she said quietly, stepping backwards in her own direction. Malfoy threw her a quick wink before he turned around and went on his way..._

Hermione sat up quickly, her body shaking and covered in perspiration. Her breath slowed down as the guest room came back into focus.

"Just a dream. Just a dream. Just a dream," she repeated, over and over again. One would have thought she suffered from a terrible nightmare. All she'd gone through was a memory, reliving the first moment Draco and Hermione met as adults. Hermione expected something more chaotic, filled with more action, and madness. She discovered—

"I met him on good terms. I bloody met him on great terms. Oh Merlin, please let my other memories be different. Please..."

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A/N: WOW! That took so much longer to write than I thought. I'm being honest, I worked on it nearly each day I did not update. I definitely am not having writer's block - I know where I want the story to go, how it will finish, the direction, yada yada yada - but putting it out is just harder than expected. I like the way I'm writing it and want to continue it like that, with the flow I have. I hate putting out something I'm not proud of. Please bear with me - I want to love this story as much as I do 'Iris'.

For those of you who also read 'Evil's Mistress' - bear with me even more on that one! Blah, I know I'm a horrible writer right now, but I just can't put out something I don't like. Unlike this story, that one is not coming to me right now. The battle scene will be intense, but I can't just scribble it together. Ahh! I miss the days of 'Iris' - that story rarely ever gave me problems.

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	4. Uncut Tourmaline

_A/N: Hey all! I'm sorry, but my muse (a leprechaun I refer to as Grady) is currently taking a vacation. He must be really enjoying himself because I'm not getting anything from him lately. However, I'm hoping he returns and right quick, with plenty of ideas as for both this story and_ _'Evil's Mistress'. __In other words, sorry for the long wait._

_So, as I started to do with my other story given the response has been nearly overwhelming (I'm so pleased with the reviews!) and I can't always respond to everyone, here is the list of all those wonderful people who decided to review. _

_Special thanks to: lovin potter, gri, whenitallfallsapart, bad2dabone86, Melda-Egleriel, darkygirl, pAuLinAa , Kagome Freak, grace, Kanui d'Astor, moonkazoo, hanvu, SquishyGirl, mytondeftiger, dracoshott28, izzy, Remus's Girl, MsRisa, mary-pi, and especially CrystalizedHeart (your review was very sweet), Chocolateveela (I love all of your reviews!), silverlovedragoness (you're the best!!), and coeurnoir (your review is actually one of my all time favorites).__

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**Uncut Tourmaline - Chapter 4**

Hermione looked like she'd visited Azkaban after the night she had with all the thrashing and zero amount of sleep. Though her body begged for some rest, her mind would not allow it. So, having stayed awake for most of the night, she met morning with a sneer.

"Good morning," said Ginny cheerily, bustling around her kitchen as she knocked various things over with her belly.

Though Hermione thought the scene before her was cute, loving how happy Ginny looked, it didn't keep her from asking, "and what in the bloody hell is so good about it?"

The redhead turned around and smiled. "Mrs. Ma—Miss Hermione, since when do you use that sort of language?" Though she felt confident about covering her slip up, Hermione did not easily miss such things.

"What were you about to call me?" she asked unnecessarily.

Ginny rolled her eyes and sighed, "Look, I'm sorry. I'm use to playful banter with you and we generally call each other by our last names. It was something you always liked."

"Well I don't like it now," she hissed firmly.

Thankfully, before Hermione could continue and make an even bigger mess, Blaise walked with a sly grin on his face. "Morning, love," he said, giving Ginny a sweet kiss on her mouth, before he bent down and placed his hands on her stomach. "And morning to you, my little one." He snuggled her belly, placing a few soft kisses there as well. Ginny simply stared at him in awe, finding her husband positively adoring. Hermione felt the urge to smile, but kept the grin tugging at her lips at bay, wishing fervently that someone else was nuzzling her stomach.

Finally, Blaise lifted up and acknowledged Hermione kindly; "Lovely morning, Hermione. Did you sleep well?"

"No I didn't, Zabini," she snipped, earning her a glare from Ginny.

"You know, you can treat _me _like a total bitch, but I'd prefer for you to not act like that towards my husband." Ginny's voice had been soft, but firm with warning.

"Honey—"

"No Blaise," she cut him off, turning her attention back to Hermione. "You've been snippy for the last couple of days and I'm sick of it. Suck it up, learn to get back on track, and stop treating everyone around you like they don't matter. I'm really growing tired of it." Hermione's eyes widened, as did her husband's, at Ginny's outburst. The redhead seemed unaffected by their stares and went back to preparing breakfast, bustling about like normal.

"How dare—"

"Spare me, Hermione." Ginny turned around with her face flushed and looked disheveled. "For Draco to act like he did and to let you go...you must have really hurt him. Draco is a man's man, like Blaise, so it's a rarity for him to show emotions. I saw the look on his face when he brought you here and that was the look of someone with a broken heart. You broke the love of your life's heart."

Hermione looked down, oddly ashamed at her actions. Well, not exactly did it seem odd given Ginny's acute disapproval and searing words, but Hermione actually felt bad about someone who grew up calling her 'mudblood'. She decided to make it known.

"He is not the love of my life. He is the love of Hermione Malfoy's life, not mine!"

"Well, you better get use to it," she snapped, leaning against the counter for support. "You know what? Fine, you can act like this to me or even to him...but you need to stop being this way towards your children. I don't care if you're sixteen or if you're thirty; you can't do that. It has to be said and I'm the only one brave enough to do it..." she sighed, stopping herself with a smirk on her face.

Blaise and Hermione looked on confused before she muttered, "well I guess I shouldn't be surprised, really. Out of the bunch of us, I'm the only Gryffindor. Slytherins are not really know for you their brav—"

"Don't finish that statement, Gin."

Ginny's brow quirked up, a smile lined on her freckled face. Blaise attempted to look hard, mad, but his eyes belied his so-called angry state.

"As I was saying," continued Ginny, looking back at a cowering, wide-eyed Hermione, "someone has to say this to you. _You need to grow up_!"

Though Blaise certainly thought his wife's words were harsh, he did not dare disagree with an angry pregnant woman. However, after catching sight of Hermione's face, it didn't do well to mess with a frightened sixteen year old either. Yes, Blaise was completely screwed at this point. He decided to take advantage of the situation.

"I'm going to go see Draco since you girls obviously need some alone time. Owl me if you need me, babe." He walked over to Ginny, nuzzled her neck as he rubbed her belly for a moment, before he fled the room. _Far too much estrogen for my taste_, he thought with a smile.

Back in the kitchen, Hermione continued to stare while Ginny prepared a morning meal for the two of them, seeing as Blaise no longer required anything. Ginny looked at ease, as though the entire fight did not even occur, but Hermione looked scared, freaked at whatever else could come out of Ginny's mouth. The way Ginny looked and the age Hermione was at made her feel like she was being scolded; made her feel like a child.

"Look, I can understand how you'd be scared in the situation, but you can't keep doing this. You've had several days to calm down and sort through your thoughts. It's time now for you to try and get back to the life you once knew. It's time for you to let Draco back in your life." Ginny's words were soft, spoken sensibly, and sounded heartfelt. Hermione's mind raced, knowing the situation would only get worse unless she took action. As a Gryffindor, action always seemed like the route to follow.

"I just don't know him," she mumbled, fiddling with her pale fingers.

"Get to know him _again_, Hermione." Hermione certainly didn't miss a beat on the emphasis Ginny put on 'again'. That man was her husband and damn it - it appeared she had, at one time, for a long bloody time, loved him.

_I have to learn to love him again._

_I just have to._

0000000

"Daddy?"

Draco looked up from his hands to meet Roxy's pleading blue eyes, just like his own. Draco attempted to smile, but it came out strained and even the five year old could clearly see something was wrong with her straight-laced father.

"Daddy, what's wrong?" she asked softly.

Draco ran a hand through his colorless hair, using the other to wipe at his tired face. Then, he reached out to pick up his baby girl and rocked her gently in his lap.

"I'm fine, love. I just miss your mum," he told her, not really wanting to lie to the young girl.

"I miss mum too. Is she mad?" she asked. The question just about broke Draco's already fragile heart.

Shaking his head, he assured her, "No, sweetheart. She isn't mad, but just...sick. When she gets better, she'll come home to us."

"Promise?" she asked innocently.

"I promise," he sighed, squeezing her tightly against his broad chest. The girl seemed placated and nodded, hugging her father right back. After a moment, he let the girl down and she ran to her uncle Blaise, giving him a cuddly embrace before scampering off into the vast house. Blaise smiled as he watched the girl exit.

"If I have a girl, I just hope she is half as pretty as that little beauty," said Blaise genuinely. Draco managed a smile at his words.

"She is a handful," he mumbled, looking down at his hands, which had resumed the fidgeting they'd been engaged in prior to his daughter's interruption.

Blaise nodded. "I've babysat for the little girl on several occasions. Trust me, I know she's a handful."

Silence overtook the room; Draco didn't want to speak whereas Blaise didn't really know what to say.

"So..." mumbled Blaise awkwardly, "I um...how did you sleep?"

"I slept alone in a big ass house in a big ass room in a big ass bed. How the hell do you think I slept?"

"Bad question?" asked Blaise unnecessarily.

"You think?" quipped Draco sarcastically.

"Alright, well, what um..." he broke off, unsure of how to approach anything regarding Hermione. Thankfully, Draco decided to take matters into his own hands.

"How was she? Did she sleep alright over there?" Blaise felt a brotherly pain for Draco, a man who was borderline on the brink of insanity. His entire world began and ended with Hermione, a woman who currently did not love him nor even freakin' knew him, so how the hell was he to go on? Damn, if Blaise lost Ginny...he shuddered to think. The girl meant more to him than anything else. _Draco, you poor bloke_, he thought sadly.

"I think she was alright. She claimed otherwise, but I think it was to get a rise out of me." Abruptly he started laughing, making Draco stare at him questioningly. "Maybe Hermione is coming back already. I mean she is known for doing that kind of thing."

Even as sad and hurt as Draco felt, he managed to laugh.

0000000

Hermione was tossing and turning, the sheets tangling up between her skinny, pale legs. Another nightmare?

No.

Another memory...

_If he was nervous, he didn't look it. Hermione noticed his calm demeanor and placid manner as he waited for her at the back booth of The Broken Wand. It didn't surprise her he'd chosen that particular restaurant given the outrageous prices and press coverage the place received everyday. Yes, the media are always on her case. She was anything but surprised when she arrived in front of the restaurant and had been swarmed._

'_Miss Granger, who will you be dining with tonight?'_

'_Miss Granger, what are your thoughts on longtime friend Lavender Brown being promoted in the ministry?'_

'_Do you have any thoughts regarding the various trade-elves scenario?'_

'_Who designed the dress you're wearing tonight'_

'_Miss Granger, as the last living member of the 'the Golden Trio', how do you feel about Jonathon Bulstrode's new book, _Confessions of a Death Eater: the Bulstrode Tale_?'_

'_Miss Granger, are you dating someone right now?'_

Psh...they can all bugger off if you ask me. Every time I say 'no comment', one would have thought I'd slapped them. Bloody poachers!

_So witnessing Draco interacting with the waiter, not a single hair out of place or crease of frustration in his brow, almost chaffed her. However, she had agreed to the date so she might as well try to enjoy it. Though she felt skeptic given her past with him; an ulterior motive seemed logical._

_As soon as he saw her approach, he rose from his seat and a dashing smile graced his lips._

"_Wow...Granger, you look beautiful."_

_Hermione had to admit she looked damn good. She decided that based upon her date, she needed to dress up. Well, she also took the restaurant into account. She'd chosen to where a gorgeous red gown, fitted to her every curve. Like hot silver it melted against her skin, clinging as though it had literally been painted on. Sparkles adorned the material and when the light hit, she almost looked like a shining piece of crimson crystal. The top featured two straps, both swept to the side and fastened over her left shoulder, tied to the back to connect. The dress halted right above the knees, flashing her creamy calves and feet. She'd chosen to wear elegant red heels to complete the outfit. _

_Her hair she'd pulled back, twisting her numerous curls into a loose knot at the base of her neck. A few dark strands framed her rosy cheeks, some even gracing over her right eye._

_Jewelry? None. Make-up? Very light, just a hint of eyeliner and mascara. Hermione, though she'd grown into a true beauty, she'd always been and would be plain. _

_When thinking about beauty, Hermione equated every type of girl to a gem. She regarded blondes as diamonds. Those girls dazzle like the moonlight, shining so everyone wants to either be them or wants to be with them. Like a diamond, blondes receive attention and hold a value strictly because their hair reflects light like gold. Redheads, on the other hand, are like pearls. There is a special quality about a redhead, just like a pearl, which makes each one special. Pearls are more rare and a gem not seen on a regular basis, not even for the most wealthy and classic of women. A woman who wears pearls does so because she knows it will captivate an onlooker, mystify them with her charm. Diamonds may glisten, but pearls inspire._

_Finally, the third category, the one in which Hermione fell under; girls with dark locks are like tourmaline, a type of jewel that differs in so many ways. Though there are various instances when the colors fluctuate, most diamonds and pearls share the same color. Yes, there is the occasional diamond of canary yellow or onyx black pearl, but most times, the gems are white. Tourmaline, on the other hand, ranges and varies from pink to green to blue to black, not one ever really the same distinct color. Dark haired girls do not sparkle like blondes nor are they rare like a redhead, but they sure are different. Not one brunette will have the same color; some will be light while others will be jet black. They have the benefit of never being like anyone else._

_Hermione thought of herself like a piece of uncut tourmaline. She was valuable and beautiful, but her edges were sharp and jagged. So much had happened to her throughout the war that left her with scars, some that never fully healed. If one acted carelessly with the precious stone, blood could be drawn. If one acted carelessly around Hermione Granger, a heart could end up shattered._

_Keeping that in mind, she thanked him for the compliment and allowed him to pull out her chair, dropping herself in gracefully. Upon pushing her chair in, adjusting his jacket, and then sitting himself back down, Hermione bit her lip and waited for him to speak first._

"_I am glad you were able to come," he said sincerely._

_Nodding with a hint of a blush grazing her upper cheekbones, she looked down and away from him. Unlike the incident with the coffee where conversation emerged purely because of the situation, Hermione lacked any idea as to how to continue speaking without a certain topic._

"_I am sure this dinner must seem odd."_

_Hermione's face lifted up and practically absorbed the gaze Draco was giving off. She had to admit, he was a handsome man. "Why did you ask me on this date?" she asked inquisitively; adding, "Well, aside from the whole chivalry act."_

"_What act?" he teased with a hearty grin._

"_You know what act, Mr. Malfoy. Don't tell me you did this out of the kindness of your heart, simply because you spilled my coffee. If that is the reason then I will just..." she broke off, already rising from her chair. She only stopped when she heard him chuckle to himself. "Something funny?"_

"_Hysterical. You've obviously been working yourself up over this and have expected me to somehow, what's the word...damage you."_

"_Damage," she repeated, though it came out more as a gasp and was meant only for herself. Nonetheless, he heard it;_

"_Yes, damage. Look, I asked you out because I saw a beautiful girl walking down the street. Ignoring the fact that I've known you for half my life, not exactly on good terms, I took the opportunity that was thrown at me. Your drink was spilled and I thought of a brilliant way to make it up to you with dinner in mind."_

_Hermione looked down sheepishly, hating herself for acting like such a stubborn child._

"_Please sit down and give the evening a chance. I swear, if you have an absolute horrid time, I'll personally alert the media about what a bad date we had strictly on my fault."_

_Hermione eyed him curiously, actually intrigued by the offer. "Really? You, Draco Malfoy, former haughty slytherin, would admit to such a thing?"_

_He smirked, taking a brief moment to run his lean fingers through his pale hair. Afterwards, he nodded and affirmed, "Yes."_

_With that, she took her seat again._

"_So," he said, raising his arm in the air to alert the waiter of his needs, "care for a drink? I prefer white wine myself."_

"_White wine? Come now, I'd have thought you'd be a little less boring than that." His light eyebrows lifted, a baffled grin spreading along his features. Suddenly, he moved his arms out as though telling her to inform him of the proper drink for such an evening. After glancing at the list, she lifted up to see the waiter approaching._

"_What can I start you off with?" he asked politely._

_Draco looked to Hermione with that same cheeky grin which urged her to respond first. Giving him a mock-look of distaste, she muttered, "I'll have an apple martini."_

_Draco, astounded, took a moment to remember his order. Once the waiter left, Draco eyed her roguishly. He asked, "Are you trying to get drunk tonight? Don't get me wrong, I know as a war hero you can handle a lot, but an apple martini? I didn't expect that for the innocent Gryffindor bookw—"_

"_Just because I was an innocent little thing at Hogwarts doesn't mean I can't hold my liquor. And what the hell? Whoever said I was innocent?" Belying her words, her eyes held amusement._

"_I apologize. I have no proof regarding your virtue when you were at Hogwarts so I guess I can't say if you were or were not the little goody-goody everyone thought you were. For all I know, you could have been the Gryffindor vixen." _

_Hermione's lips twisted into a slight smile, the kind one hates as it betrays your mind. In other words, she didn't want to smile, but it came anyway._

_Smiling happened a lot throughout the course of the evening. In fact, most of their date went along smoothly, just basic banter between two strangers who knew a few things about the other. Before long, one would have thought they'd have been good friends for years._

_After the meal concluded, Draco insisted upon walking her home, stating it was 'a gentleman's responsibility to see their lady reach her destination'. Though she valued her independence, she had to admit it was nice to feel female again. It had been a long time since anyone had treated her like this, not from a lack of trying. Hermione was one of the cutest witches in the current world._

_She lived in a quiet village, similar to Hogsmeade, and one which held on the most exclusive of occupants. The only people who lived their were others like Hermione; people who longed for quiet and happened to be famous or wealthy. Nobody was allowed in without notification of the wizards monitoring the charmed area, wands at their sides. Hermione did not want him to know her exact location so she refused to invite him up to her home, but accepted his walk up to her gates._

"_I want to see you again," he whispered abruptly._

_Hermione, who had a feeling he might given their rather pleasant date, sighed and avoided his line of sight._

"_Mr. Malfoy, I—"_

"_Draco. Please, all night I've asked you to call me that."_

_Gulping, she continued, "Draco, you don't want to keep seeing me. Trust me, I'm not good for you."_

_Draco looked perplexed and somewhat gobsmacked. Women never turned him down, let alone ones he had charmed beyond all belief. What was going on?_

"_Hermione, I don't understand. I thought you had a nice time tonight."_

"_I did. I had a wonderful time, but I'm just saying that you don't want to continue anything with me. I'm damaged goods and..." she trailed off, turning away from him. "When the war ended, I couldn't be happy because I lost the four people I care about most in this world. I lost my parents in the middle of the war when Voldemort requested they were killed. Then...the war ended and I woke up to discover Harry and Ron dead."_

_Draco listened intently, trying to figure out how she could equate what happened to them to the scenario at hand. _

"_I became a different person. I'm dead inside Draco and I can't ask you to try to understand that. Most don't and I would assume you'd be the same. Hermione Granger died in that war and all that's left is a cold, boring work-a-holic. Everyone I love...dies."_

_Draco had never heard such a sincere sorrow. Hermione Granger—vivacious, loveable, bright, and strong Hermione Granger—thought of herself as a dead, lost being. It was like she'd been kissed by a dementor; alive, but without a soul. The poor, poor girl deserved more than a life filled with self-loathing and acute grief._

_He sighed and whispered, "Look, I know it will have little solace for you now, but I highly doubt Potter or Weasley would have wanted this for you. Damn, you had the greatest friends imaginable. Do you think they'd want you to hate yourself over their death?"_

"_Do you think I'm a complete idiot?" she asked rhetorically. "I know they wouldn't want me to hate myself and I don't. What I hate is how I should have joined them and died with them on that field, pride and honor intact. I don't want to be here without them and without anything to live for."_

"_Perhaps you can find something to live for."_

_His words struck something in her as though a flashing light started blinking in front of her face. She'd only thought of life as betrayal for so long that thinking of it as anything else seemed...just seemed wrong._

"_Please, give this another chance. Let me take you out again."_

_Now, Hermione had been asked out in more ways than she cared to remember. Since the war, it seemed to be the trendy, 'it' thing to ask her out. One man claimed Merlin had the stars write her name in the sky, precisely why he chose to whisper her name in the wind. She chuckled to herself at that bad attempt to get her attention and declined, sweetly of course. Another man, someone from the ministry, asked her out on more than one occasion, coming up with a different pick up line each time. Some were catchy while others were just plain silly. Then there were the regular wizards who asked her just to ask her out. Each time she always politely refused._

_However, this time was different. For once since the war had ended, Hermione opened her mouth and said, "Alright."_

Hermione rolled over abruptly, landing in a heap of limbs on the floor. The sheets clung to her like damn silk while her night shirt felt soggy all around. It took her a moment to regain her bearings before she crawled back up into bed.

"Merlin...another great encounter," she whispered to herself. After realizing what she'd said, she cursed, "Damn it!"

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A/N: So what did you all think? I know the wait has been long, but I hope you're all forgiving people. I could list the excuses, but since I hate them myself, I won't bother. I'll just say I'm sorry and, as I said at the beginning of the chapter, I hope Grady comes home soon! Oh and I'm not getting my emails or reviews right now so for those of you who private message me regularly, I'm sorry and I'll get back to you when they start showing up again. 

Oh, and the whole jewel thing regarding girls was something I loved writing!! I seriously loved equating girls to diamonds, pearls, and tourmaline since that has always been my own thought when it comes to describing chicks. For those of you who don't know, I'd be a pearl in that scenario and I'm damn proud of it even though I personally think tourmaline is a prettier mineral :)

Note - At one point, I wrote 'the media are...' _That is the proper way to say it!_ It's a pet peeve of mine when people say _'the media is' _because that is wrong. The word 'Media' is _plural_. The singular form would be 'medium'. Thank you.

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	5. Draco Remembers

_A/N: I really didn't want to finish this chapter today. Okay, I am a redhead and that means I have extremely fair skin. I'm talking about skin that can rival that of our loveable Draco Malfoy - I'm not kidding; I have porcelain-like skin. Today, yours truly was a complete and total asinine idiot and forgot to put on sunscreen. Can you say tomato? So I'm redder than my hair, I feel like a ass, and I physically feel horrible, but since I know you've all been waiting patiently...I updated. I hope you guys like this chapter._

_Special thanks to: MsRisa, pAuLinAa, ebbe04, grace, Ledophole, ginsensu, mytondeftiger, Me!, dracoshott28, xmisundazt00d, mischievous female, coeurnoir, hanvu, and especially Chocolateveela (Grammar lessons are always great, hehe), CrystalizedHeart (you've got your own special category!), Thena (I'm glad to hear that, hon), dynonugget (happy to hear you like 'Iris' as well), mary-pi (I never get tired of your reviews), and silverlovedragoness (you know you're the best)._

_Honestly - your reviews mean so much to me. Thank you all so much!_

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Draco Remembers - Chapter 5**

Draco felt almost giddy. Giddy and gleeful and happy and joyous and ah! He could hardly contain himself as he paced the front foyer, occasionally tugging at his white, button-up shirt or pressing out the non-existent wrinkles on his black pants. Hermione was allowing him to take her on a date. A real date! Alright, so they'd gone on plenty of dates, but none that she could recall (or so he thought. She had not disclosed to anyone the fact she dreamt up memories of their first encounters). This was his chance to make her see the real him.

The day just seemed so perfect and right that he almost worried the night would bring upon his downfall.

He woke up early, surprisingly refreshed and not as tired as he'd been in past days. He'd never been able to sleep without his wife's petite form next to his so actually sleeping like that for several nights in a row took a toll on him like most could not even fathom. However, he did have to admit that sleeping next to a young girl with honey-brown locks, like he'd done ever since Hermione left him to sleep at Blaise and Ginny's home, definitely raised his spirits.

Draco smiled as he stared at the raving beauty, brushing back strands of her fine hair from her face. He traced his fingers over the pattern of light freckles in an almost connect-the-dots fashion which ultimately caused her to stir from her slumber. Her eyes opened to meet Draco's, smiling tiredly up at him.

"Time to wake up, beautiful," he murmured, pressing a kiss to her small forehead.

"What time is it, daddy?" asked Roxy, rubbing the sleep out of her face. Draco smiled as he pulled her closer, hugging her tightly against him.

"It's about nine and I think it's time to get up," he told her, letting her go to lean on his side in order to wake his son. He smiled at the young tyke who was still fast asleep, his left thumb held firmly in his mouth.

"Bailey," he whispered, pushing back his rumpled hair matted against his forehead. "B, it's time to wake up. Your sister and I are going to have some breakfast and we'd love for you to join us."

Bailey grumbled like the average two year old and rolled on his side, content to lie in bed far longer than his parents allowed. Draco couldn't help, but smile when he thought about the various times they'd stay in bed only to be "woken" up by their children...

"_Lez ust say in all day," he grumbled, voice muffled by the pillow stuck firmly against his face. Hermione giggled and yanked it back, loving the sly grin he gave her. "I say that I skip work and we'll just stay in."_

"_As lovely as that suggestion is, you know we can't. You have a meeting and I promised Ginny that I'd help her with the baby's room today. She claims that Blaise is inept at helping her with this rather mundane task." Draco snorted, shaking his head at his wife. "What? I don't see why you men have such a hard time decorating a room."_

"_We pay; I think we do our fair share," he quipped, enjoying the red hue of annoyance floating on her cheeks. He loved Hermione more than his own soul and personally found her most beautiful like this; bedhead everywhere and madder than a hatter._

_She sighed a female huff of irritation and turned away, scowling, "I think Blaise should be a part of at least something other than paying. Besides, Ginny certainly contributes more than most considering her pay check is anything short of low. She's doing a damn fine job, thank you."_

_Draco had to admit she was right. The she-Weasley owned a quaint restaurant in Diagon Alley, one which flourished from the moment of opening about three years ago. It was actually where Blaise had proposed to her, Draco and Hermione at the table no less. She certainly contributed to the Zabini income, though there was no real need. The Zabini family fortune nearly rivaled that of the Malfoy's._

"_She is doing a great job," he finally submitted, practically hearing her smirk seeing as she was still faced away from him._

_He leaned over and pressed a warm, sensual kiss to the back of her neck, feeling her shiver beneath his touch. His hands ran up and down her waist, clinging to the soft material above her gorgeous flesh. When she turned to meet his eyes, she saw nothing short of a lustful, desirous Draco Malfoy. She didn't need to ask what he had in mind for the morning._

_However, before they could engage in any coupling, their bedroom door opened up, almost causing Draco to whine in acute disappointment. It was only when he heard a high pitched giggle and a bossy 'quiet' that he smiled at his wife. Their two minis ran around each side–Bailey on Hermione's and Roxy on Draco's–preparing to startle their parents, who were already well awake into the morning, out of their sleep. Draco smirked at a nodding Hermione and they laid themselves back down, closed their eyes, and went along with their children's game._

"_BOO!" cried a laughing Roxy, jumping onto her father's lap. Draco immediately sat up and wrapped his arms around her, tickling her sides and belly._

_Meanwhile, Bailey was having a much more difficult time in getting up on the high standing bed. Hermione, though keeping her eyes closed, held her arm out. Bailey latched onto it and hung on as Hermione swung him up, his tiny weight being no problem for her to manipulate._

"_Tanks, mama," said the lisping voice of her son, unaware of his mother being awake. _

_Hermione let out a little laugh, but kept her eyes closed, her son still determined to rouse her up. Taking a cue from his older sister, he shouted, "BOO!" Hermione sat up and looked startled, earning her a pleased look from her son. "Got you, mama!"_

"_You sure did," she cooed, hugging him tightly. _

_Draco finally let go of his laughing daughter and leaned back, letting her get under the covers with them._

"_That was fun," she said with a laugh._

"_Oh really?" asked Draco, smiling in spite of his parental tone. "You think it's funny to wake up your mum and dad?"_

"_Tons!" she shrieked, earning her grins from her parents._

_Hermione and Draco looked at one another before pressing their lips together, loving their intimate time with their children. Their soft caress earned them a loud 'yech!' from their daughter and an 'eww!' from their son, but they would not have had it any other way. The Malfoy family couldn't have been more happy..._

Draco snapped out of his daze when he felt Roxy tugging his arm and directing him toward the door. Bailey sat up on the bed, jutted his belly out, and rubbed his eyes, grumbling at having to wake up. Bailey held out his arms beseechingly and Draco obliged by picking him up in order to whisk him and his daughter downstairs.

Once morning had passed, the day passed relatively smooth. Well, as smooth as his days without his wife could be. He played with his children and even let Roxy fly on his broom (Though he could practically hear Hermione's familiar chastises of 'she's far too young!' and 'your broom is too fast for her!') for a little while. Well, not really flying, but hovering above the ground. He managed to get through another day without his lovely.

It wasn't until around three in the afternoon that he met up with Blaise via floo who sounded more pleasant than usual, at least as of late. He damn well couldn't wait for his baby to arrive, but he walked around as though on glass whenever around Draco. Nonetheless, this floo visit had been different.

"Hey Draco," greeted Blaise cheerily.

Draco nodded in response and wondering what the hell would cause Blaise just to show up like this. Well, it was only his head in a fireplace, but still it seemed off. Blaise was big on respect and certainly considered it rude to drop in unannounced. He consider such a visit to be an unannounced one.

"Look I've got some news from Hermione," he began, sounding on borderline hysterical with happiness. "She says she wants to see you."

Draco's heart stopped beating and his throat constricted to the point of near suffocation. Hermione, his wife, his everything, his one and only...actually wanted to see him.

"When?" he finally managed to choke out.

"She said she'd like to have dinner. She wanted to go eat at Ginny's new shop though I think it's because she hopes Ginny will be there at the same time. I think she's still nervous about being alone with you."

Draco let out a heavy sigh. Sure, it hurt to know his wife still felt like that, but he'd deal with it. The chance to be with her, bloody near her even, felt good.

"Name a time and I'll be there. Just...whatever she wants, she'll get. Name it!"

"Whoa, calm down, mate," said Blaise with a smile, enjoying his friend's lit up expression. "She said she will meet you there at eight. She also wanted me to remind you that this is a one night date and she will return back to my house once it's over."

Draco nodded, face flushed and red. "I uh...thanks, mate."

"No need to thank me," responded Blaise easily. Draco nodded, appearing to give him the benefit of the doubt, but he knew otherwise. Blaise definitely had some sort of involvement in the matter. _He probably coaxed her into going or...hell, knowing him, bribed her. Well, since she is sixteen...I'll guess with a very large book._

"Shit! I have to go get ready," exclaimed Draco when he realized the time.

Blaise laughed, "Are you kidding me? You sound like some bloody wanker right now. Go play with your kids and start getting ready ten minutes beforehand. You know, like a normal guy."

"Are you kidding me?!" asked Draco seriously. "This is going to be a very important date."

With that, Draco turned away from the fireplace leaving Blaise to chuckle to himself. Draco had not been joking and dashed up the stairs, taking two at a time. He wasn't being a total girl, but he did pick out his clothes, pressed them, figured out the cologne he'd wear (_Veela Musk for Men_, designed by Cho Chang; Hermione's favorite), and figured out everything for the evening. Normally, Hermione would do that sort of thing. He could practically hear her voice telling him everything he needed to do in order to get ready for an evening...

"_I want you to wear that black shirt, Draco," she told him from her vanity seeing as he was in their lavish bathroom; "the one you wore to Justin's birthday bash last month. I think that one will look best with my dress. Besides, you always look good in black."_

_Draco smiled as he walked out and watched his wife from behind. He loved staring at her when she thought nobody was looking since she had a modest charm about her. She was seated at her vanity, fastening her long, thick hair up with various sequined pins of white gold. The dress she had on only accentuated her beauty; fitted black silk clinging to her every curve, back cut out and showing off all the glory of her pale skin. After each pin was in place, her dainty fingers slid over the glass bottles of her perfume, pensively deciding which one she wanted to wear. Once she chose the perfect fragrance for the evening, she splashed her chest with an easy spitz. Then, seeing as Draco loved nibbling on her ears when they danced, she sprayed her fingertips and gently rubbed the scented liquid behind her lobes to heighten his pleasure._

_Draco gazed at her mirrored reflection in front of her and noted every part of the face he already knew by heart. Though it hardly rivaled his, Hermione's complexion looked fabulous pale and he felt pleased to see she'd done little too change that shade. She'd glazed her eyes with a hint of beige, almost gold eyeshadow, lining it with black pencil and mascara. To finish off the clean look, her lips donned a light shade of crimson lipstick. Oh yeah, his wife looked hot._

_Finally, after staring at her for a good five minutes, Draco did as she told him and put on the black shirt. After rolling up the sleeves and buttoning it up over a white wife-beater, he too finished up by fixing his ruffled hair and putting on some cologne._

_Turning around, he saw she just added the last touches to her outfit and was checking her appearance to make sure she'd done everything. _

"_You look beautiful," he told her, nearly moaning when he saw a shy, almost innocent smile flash across her face._

"_You like it? It's the right dress and all?" she asked, not fishing for a compliment, but genuinely wanting his opinion. That was one of the things about Hermione he'd learn to really care for once they were married; she valued his opinion on the most simple of things. Whether it was about what outfit to wear, which new book to read, or which potion to use, she always turned to him for advice. She appreciated his outlook above all others with the feeling being more than mutual._

_Draco looked her up and down, finding her ensemble positively delicious and he couldn't wait until the night was over so he could rip it off her. There would be no need for foreplay when she looked that bloody gorgeous. In spite of this, he put his hand beneath his chin and walked around her, as if putting serious consideration into her question._

"_Something is missing," he told her, sounding wistful._

_Hermione suddenly appeared anxious, checking over her reflection to see if she had overlooked a minor detail. Not really catching anything, she asked, "What's missing? Nothing seems out of place and I've got my hair up like you like it..."_

"_It's not your hair. It's...you know what? I know what it is," he told her as he strode to their closet and rummaged through an organized drawer. Hermione tried to figure out what he saw, but still couldn't come up with anything. _I've got my make up done and the hair is right. I've got earrings in and..._her thoughts cut off when Draco's hands slid across her body to place a dazzling necklace around her neck. Her mouth dropped in awe of the elegant flower covered in diamonds and dark chalcedonies. _

"_Draco..." she began, her dark eyes on the necklace, "It's beautiful. But...but why? It's not really a special night for us, like an anniversary, and—"_

"_And when have I ever needed an occasion to spoil my wife?" he asked, delighting in her shocked reaction. "Besides, I think it suits you. I saw it and immediately thought about how good it would look on you. Mind you, I was thinking you'd be naked when you were wearing it..."_

"_When are you not thinking about me naked?" she asked playfully. Draco began to nuzzle her neck, planting soft kisses on her exposed skin. "Draco, honestly why? You don't normally do things like this, just making extravagant purchases without cause. It had to have cost a pretty galleon so what's really the reason behind this?"_

"_No reason. I just...I love you and I thought you'd look pretty in it," he stated with a shrug. Hermione bit her lip, running her hands up his arms which were still clasped around her upper torso._

"_Well I love it. Thank you," she whispered, turning in his arms so he could bend down to kiss her. He ran his tongue along her bottom lip, tasting her raspberry lipstick. His hands wandered as the kiss progressed causing her to moan into his mouth. She pulled away, albeit with reluctance, to whimper, "Draco, we've got plans tonight. You keeping going and we'll never leave this room."_

"_And that's a problem?" he quipped slyly. She gave a slight huff of laughter followed by a lighthearted slap on his shoulder. He threw her a wink before he went to put on his shoes and out of the corner of his eye, he saw her turn back to the mirror, smiling happily..._

Again, he forced himself to snap out of his dazed memory to focus on the task at hand. He still had many hours to go before he'd get a chance to spend an evening with his wife.

"Bailey," he called, walking out of his bedroom and down the hall. "Roxy, B, where are you two?"

His youngest, who had been in the hall playing with a house-elf, practically hurled toward him and jumped in his arms. Draco planted a kiss on the tip of his nose, earning him a giggle and a hug, before he ventured down to his daughter's bedroom.

"Roxy?"

With her door ajar, he could see the young girl sitting on the edge of her bed, staring at her fidgeting fingers, a habit she'd picked up from his wife. He sighed, wondering what was bothering her.

"Can I come in, Roxy?" Though she was only five, he liked giving her some privacy seeing as his own parents had often times been extremely intrusive. After she nodded, he set his son down and told him to continue playing with Tarty, one of the two house-elves Hermione and him hired to look after their children and house when necessary. The tot nodded and sprinted out of the room allowing Draco time to speak with his daughter.

"What's going on?" he asked, sitting next to her on the large, purple-sheeted bed.

"I miss mummy," she mumbled honestly, breaking Draco's heart. A sigh escaped his lips before he could stop it and frankly, he didn't want to. "You said mum would be home soon and she still isn't home."

"I know, baby," he said sadly, "but...your mum is going through a difficult time right now. When she starts feeling better then she will come to see all of us. I promise."

"You promised before," she noted, shuffling away from the bed. Draco smirked, realizing again just how much she reminded him of Hermione. By and large, Roxanne's traits reflected a side more like him rather than his wife with her quick wit and lack of regard for rules. Yet, there were times when he could practically see Hermione staring out at him through his child's lovely face.

"I know that, baby," he told her honestly, finding no point in lying to her, "but I meant what I said. She loves you very much and she will come back to us."

The young girl nodded and seemed appeased, enough to get along with the rest of the day at least. It was just as well given Draco could not focus on his daughter when he had his wife to worry about.

This finally brought himself back to the moment in the present, the moment in which he waited for the date to begin. Everything needed to be perfect. He had to choose his words carefully, had to speak to her meticulously, and overall just had to be the ideal gentleman, not that it was much of a stretch for him.

In a few minutes he'd be with her.

In a few minutes he'd be with his wife.

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A/N: So what do you guys think? The whole scene with Draco giving Hermione the necklace...that has become I think my favorite scene of the story. Honestly, I thought it was cute :) And I'm sorry this chapter was so short, but I had to end it here. I want their date to be an entirely separate chapter since so much is going to happen during it (lol, SPOILER!) so I'm sorry about that. With the way this story is going though, I actually may post chapter 6 of this before I post another chapter for 'Evil's Mistress'. We'll see, depending on the response I get from this chapter. 

Oh and again, read "_Everything to Lose_" by Heptagon. It's AMAZING!

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	6. Who She Was to Him

A/N: Hey you guys. Thanks so much for your lovely messages and know that they were all well received. I appreciate it. I'm only updating because I need something to occupy my time and this seems like a great solution - writing has just been a way to escape (shut up - I know it's cliche, but it's true). Anyway, I know I'm suppose to update 'Evil's Mistress' next, but I haven't been feeling that story lately. So instead of trying to force something, I just wrote the next chapter of this one. Personally, it's become my favorite chapter. I hope you guys like it and I'll try to update 'Evil's Mistress' soon (something clicked about an hour ago so I have started the next chapter).

Oh and I know some of you have been asking who it was in my family. I won't say who (no offense, but I only know two people on this site on a personal level), but I'll say that I was _very_ close with who I lost. I'm not doing very well, as you can imagine, so please be patient with me.

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**Who She Was to Him - Chapter 6**

"Can I get you anything, Mr. Malfoy?" asked the young waitress, awestruck at being the one to serve him. Actually, the girl couldn't believe her luck altogether. She'd been hired by none other than Ginny Weasley-Zabini to work at the hottest restaurant in Diagon Alley, the pay was incredible, and she often times served high-class, famous people. Imagine the girl's astonishment on her fourth night of work to serve Draco Malfoy.

"No, thank you," he murmured, his eyes focused on the entrance door. "Do you know if um...if anyone has ask-asked for me? Anyone?"

"No, but I can check. I'll be right back," she said politely and left to walk toward the front desk. The other woman looked back to see Draco, waved, and then attempted to locate the messages they'd just taken in. Draco held his breath and drummed his fingers impatiently on the round table, hoping to Merlin that the reason she hadn't arrived was because she'd chickened out. If anything happened to her...

"We just got an owl from Blaise Zabini who wrote Hermione was running late and she'd be here shortly," said the waitress sweetly upon returning.

"Oh thank Merlin," said Draco, exhaling a sigh of relief without thought. As silly as it seemed for him to worry over her like he was, he just couldn't help it. Her and their children's safety meant more to him than anything else. Looking back up at the waitress, he nodded and smiled, "Thank you."

The blonde girl bowed and went on to serve her other customers while Draco continued to wait anxiously. He wondered how the night would turn out. Would she leave appeased? Would she leave mad? Would she leave before the evening was over? Would she want to stay? Scratch the last one, he knew it was out of the question. It was still a nice thought, though.

With his thoughts on Hermione, he jumped from his seat when he saw her enter the building. Merlin...did she look beautiful. She was wearing a swaying knee-length, black skirt along with a fitted white top with sleeves extending to her elbows. With a pair of black heels, she'd raised herself off the ground about two inches. He had the fleeting suspicion she wore those shoes just so she wouldn't feel short around him, as though she'd have a little more control. Her bloody gorgeous hair had been pulled up in a high pony tail which was the only factor in showing her maturity level. If she'd left her hair down, she would have looked every bit the woman he knew and fell in love with. With her dark locks up so high and a black ribbon tied around, Draco almost felt himself looking at Hermione's sixteen-year-old self.

"Hello," she greeted, extending a hand out to him. Various people in the restaurant stared at their formal and relatively awkward reception, but Draco couldn't care less. The fact that she was there with him, in front of him, seemed like a gift, pure and simple. He shook her hand gently, taking the time to rub his thumb over the soft flesh on the back of her hand before she yanked it back. Sighing, he gestured the other chair and they both sat down.

"It's wonderful to see you," he told her, not missing the shy smile she cast down.

"I uh...I'm glad that I decided to come. I almost...well, I almost didn't show up," she admitted, looking away from his gaze.

Draco sighed and murmured, "I'm not really surprised. I kind of was expecting that."

"You were?" she asked, sounding a little shocked and mildly insulted. "Why would you just assume that?"

"You almost didn't show up on our first few dates so why would I expect the same for this one?"

Hermione cocked her head to one side, a small smile on her lips. _Is he teasing me? Well I'll be a goblin's wand, Draco Malfoy is teasing me._

"I got you something," he said, reaching into his pocket to pull out a velvet black box. Hermione stared with a knot in her brow, wondering what exactly this man had up his sleeve. He slid the box across the table and waited for her to open it though he could see the hesitation in her face.

"I promise it won't bite you. I didn't put a Chinese Fireball in there," he quipped coyly.

Hermione shot him a snooty, hasty look, one which reminded him of the various bantering sessions they'd engaged in throughout the course of their happy marriage. He didn't have too long to reminisce for in the next instant his eyes focused on her. She opened the small box and her eyes widened in aghast, flummoxed by the sight before her.

"My goodness," she whispered, "I uh...I can't believe you did this. Then again, you were always known for making extravagant purchases."

Draco rolled his eyes at her comment and said, "Don't get overly excited since I didn't get it today. This was already yours."

"Mine?" she asked, more so repeated seeing as her eyes were still fixated on the jewels before her.

"I gave it to you on the night we had our first kiss. It had significance at the time, but I think we can get to that later..." he mumbled, remembering all to well the reasoning behind said bracelet.

Hermione nodded and closed the box, placing it in her black purse. Upon finishing, she looked up to meet his icy eyes and waited for him to go on. She didn't know why she'd let Blaise and Ginny talk her into this, but she figured she might as well listen to him. What could he possibly say to change her opinion of him?

"Roxy and Bailey...they're not doing too well," he told her honestly. _Why lie to her? _He then continued, "I think...I'd really like it if you would come and at least see them. They miss their mother terribly."

"I know, but...I'm just not ready for that. Please try and understand—"

"I understand," he cut her off, knowing her defensive tactics were bound to break; "but I had to say it. I've been spending every moment with them, but you are the one they spend the most amount of time with. After Roxy was born you decided to take leave from work at the Ministry in order to take care of her and you just never went back."

"Never went back?" she asked, placing her elbows on the table and putting her hands beneath her chin, suddenly interested in everything he had to say.

"No. We discussed it, but you never wanted to leave her. You said there was far too much going on with her to spend even another moment at work. Then Bailey was born and you were completely done. You became a stay at home mum."

This completely knocked her for six. _A stay at home mum? Me? I have ambitions of working in the ministry, which obviously turned out well since he just told me I use to work there, and I became a bloody stay at home mum?!_

"I never told you, but I envied you," he confessed.

"You envied me for being a stay at home mum? I don't even envy me," she huffed, crossing her arms heatedly and looking toward another table.

Draco laughed wholeheartedly; "Yeah, I envied you. I mean you got to spend a vast amount of time with the brats, time I never did. You were there for every story, every wound, and every moment since they were born. I worked so much that the only moments I got to spend with them were in the early mornings, late nights, and weekends. If this incident did teach me something it's that I never want to be like that again. I'll definitely make more time for my family."

Hermione definitely had not expected that. Sure, she figured he worked, but who wouldn't enjoy working each day? She thrived for that kind of life and yet he sounded like he condemned himself for it.

"I don't get it. I think it sounds like you're living life as opposed to me," she spat, resentment in her voice.

"No, you were the one that lived life," he said firmly, his eyes never leaving hers.

Hermione stared at him after they ordered dinner, fixated on his every movement. He poured them some wine, stopped when he realized she was sixteen and knew how much she detested the taste (she didn't acquire a fondness for it until she was well out of Hogwarts), then decided to switch over to a more suitable drink. After their sparkling water was served, she figured it was the best time to ask the question which had perched itself in the back of her mind. She'd thought over how to say it, even practiced it in front of Ginny's charmed mirror, listened to the comments from the glass piece, yet still felt apprehension about approaching the subject.

"Who was I to you?" she asked, breathing the words before she chickened out. Draco looked at her a little flourished making her self-conscious about the statement; "sorry, it's just that—"

"It's a great question," he interjected smoothly. "I just...I know the answer and yet I've never really had to literally say it before. Let me collect my thoughts.

Hermione nodded hastily, the restlessness of her gesture keeping her maturity level down again. She looked so young and innocent that it disturbed Draco on a certain level. _Am I even allowed to look at her the way I am? She is only sixteen and yet I know every inch of that delicious body. I know what's beneath the silky blouse or underneath the skirt_...he shook his head, cursing himself for thinking such things. _Focus here idiot! She wants to know who she was to me and she was certainly mature back when she actually had been sixteen. She can take what I have to tell her._

"You wer–are...you are everything to me," he said strongly, without a single hint in his voice which would deter what he said seeing the words were the Merlin-honest truth. "You've been my life since the moment we reconnected. I ran into you and spilled your coffee everywhere yet it somehow managed to bring us together. I took you out that night. From then on, you were mine and I was yours. I never would have thought, and surely you won't believe now, but you loved being owned by me just as I loved being owned by you. You had my heart, mind, and soul. You're my everything, Hermione."

Hermione shook her head, trying not to believe what she was hearing. _I'm not a piece of property. I would never let myself be owned by a man!_

"This is not some sort of hyperbole, Hermione," he told her, placing his hand on top of hers. "I meant that. You and I meant everything to one another. I love you so, so much."

Hermione felt uncomfortable, as if claustrophobic, and it all began with his hand on top of hers. She suddenly looked up, virtually anywhere away from his gaze. The scared girl probably would have left right then and there had he not spoken the next few words when he did.

"Hermione, you are the type of girl who snuggled in my lap after a bad day just so you could feel me breathe," he sighed, giving her hand a gentle squeeze. "You are the type of girl who whispered things across a crowded room just because you wanted to say 'I love you'. Our bond was strong enough for me to hear your soft voice."

"We were...we were that close?" she asked, still staggered altogether.

"Yes. You're um," he stopped himself, a laugh escaping his lips; "one of your favorite things to do to um...get into the mood shall we say–" she turned away, feeling almost dirty to hear him say such things; nonetheless, she kept listening–"was to surprise me by doing the most mundane tasks in the sexiest negligees or lingerie, sometimes in nothing at all."

"I would never!" she yelled, not really embarrassed or ashamed, but rather caught off guard. She would do such things for Malfoy? He responded with a knowing smirk.

"Yeah, you definitely did that on occasion. Well, you've rarely done it since the second brat was born, but...there was a time when you would do that. I'd be having the absolute worse day and you'd change it in an instant with that. Once or twice you even sent me an owl between my two last meetings just to warn me. I'd barely be able to contain myself just as you had planned. Little witch, you."

Hermione gripped his hand, a subconscious gesture, wrung out in the need to grip something forcefully, as her other hand came up to hold her chin, seemingly moving on its own accord. It was not as though it did not sit well with her–it actually did, knowing she would grow up to love someone so much–but rather the thought that she was living such a life with Malfoy and without her two best friends. _This is far too bizarre to be real._

"You really want to know who you are?"

The question was so blunt, so raw...she could feel her throat constrict. Instead of struggling to reply, she nodded quickly and bit her lip when he sighed.

"Hermione, you were the kind of girl who woke up in the middle of the night to make love," he told her simply, easily, like it was the most well-known piece of information in the world. "You and I had a bond so strong—"

"Thank you for the evening," she cut off, yanking her hand free from his grasp and standing, preparing to make an exit. Draco momentarily sat still, dazed, until the situation struck him.

"What? I...Hermione, I thought—"

"I just...I get it. We were close," she confirmed, nodding like she had to reassure herself; "but I'm still not ready to be this close. Thank you for dinner–"

"Which you didn't even touch," he growled bitterly, his voice low and dismayed.

"–but I think it's time for me to go. I'm sorry."

Draco stood there for a long moment, clearly wondering how to approach the situation. _Should I ask her to stay? Should I tell her that we still have far too much to talk about? What the hell do I do?!_

While his mind battled, she took charge of the situation by stepping forward and planting a quick peck against his stubbly cheek. Instead of pleading with her to stay, Draco did what he'd been doing since the moment she woke up; he allowed her to go.

"Good night, Hermione," he said miserably.

"Good night."

Just like that, she left him standing there. He had to resist the urge to grab the glass next to him and throw it at the wall. He won out.

Barely.

0000000

That very night, Hermione dreamed again...

_She'd been sitting in front of her vanity for hours on end just staring at her appearance, wondering what the hell was so bloody appealing. Her long hair was pulled back in a slick ponytail, tied at the nape of her pale neck. Brown curls drowned out the top of her dress even as stunning as it was. She decided to wear a dark purple fitted bodice with plum lacings fastened in the front, the clasps fitting nice and snug. The dress had long sleeves, but the shoulders were cut out revealing a few light freckles. At the waist, the purple faded into black, cutting off at mid-thigh. Her garment was beautiful, but not nearly as astounding as her face. A clean, refreshing look praised her though her eyes did have a sultry sound; smoky eyeshadow of black and purple mixed to make her eyes even darker. With her lips glossed over, she appeared to be a porcelain doll. The despondent expression definitely influenced that 'puppet' look to the extreme._

_Hermione Granger, the most eligible witch of the day and age, was again to have dinner with Draco Malfoy, the most eligible wizard of the day and age. Perfect fit, no? Then why, prey tell, did Hermione feel so lost and dejected?_

"_I can't do this," she whispered to nobody considering she lived alone. "I can't keep doing this. I can't do this without them..."_

_No, her feelings about her dead best mates were not the only reason for her sulking unhappiness, but her sorrow extended further. Hermione had always defined herself by her intelligence and high authority in the Order ranks. Now? Now the Order was all but disbanded (In the sense that the war was over and no longer did the wizarding world need the services of the society on a daily basis) and thus her intelligence did not seem of any importance for she didn't _need_ to work. _

_Money was not an issue; she'd been given part of Harry's estate after his death (he'd left all of it for her and the Weasleys, the only family he really had and considered, in case he didn't make it out alive), received much of Sirius' estate (since Sirius' possessions had been left to Harry), and a great deal of money from the ministry for her heroic deeds. Plus, Hermione received the entirety of the bounty on Voldemort's head seeing as Harry and Ron, the other two responsible for his demise, died in battle. _

_What did she have to live for? She had no friends, no family, too much money to ever spend in a lifetime, certainly far too much for her practical needs, and a broken heart beyond all repair._

"_I can't do this. He deserves better than me."_

_If someone had been watching her, they would have seen a tear escape and slide down her pale cheek. _To go on without my loved ones? _Most couldn't even fathom the mere thought yet Hermione unfortunately didn't have a choice. _Harry, Ron, my family...they're all dead and I still let it gnaw at my damaged heart. I'm nothing and that's all I'll ever be. Nobody can love me, I can't even love me, so why do I even bother?

"_JUST STOP IT!" she screamed, throwing her face into upturned palms, tears coming down in buckets. "JUST STOP!"_

_The war had led to the loss of her kith and kin, thus led to the demise of her once rational sanity. _What the hell would Draco Malfoy want with me? He is a fine man, can have anyone he wants and yet he is attracted to some pathetic griever. Either he is crazy or needs to get laid really bad.

"_It must be the former since the latter seems completely improbable. A guy like him must get plenty," she laughed, wiping away the tears. Then it struck her; "and I'm bloody talking to myself. I've lost my bloody mind! Bloody Hell!"_

_Again she dropped her face in her hands, but this time her eyes remained dry. She realized it was time to stop crying._

_0000000_

"_Miss Granger, it's a pleasure to see you," greeted the waiter politely. "What can I help you with tonight?"_

"_Hey, Johnny. I'm actually suppose to meet someone here. His name is Draco Malfoy."_

_Hermione waited patiently as the man searched throughout the desk, a perturbed expression on his face until he spotted a piece of parchment tied with a green ribbon._

"_Ah, yes, I forgot about this. Your gentleman suitor, Mister Malfoy, told me to give you this and this–" He held up a gold key in front of her, smiling as he did so. Hermione took both items and pensively stared at the latter with fascination, wondering fleetingly what it could possibly open. "I take it that you won't be dining here tonight."_

"_Did he say anything? He just gave you these?" she asked, her eyes still transfixed on the objects in her hands._

"_All he said was to follow the directions," he responded easily. "Now, I'm assuming this one is a keeper and thus, you won't let him go. But tell me, does he have any brothers?"_

_Hermione smiled at the man before her, suppressing the giggles that wanted to fall out of his mouth. "I'm sorry, but he's an only child. However, he does have a mutual friend of mine whom I know you would love. His name is Colin."_

_A flash of giddy glee coursed along his face before he escorted Hermione out, kissing her daintily on each cheek. After exchanging the friendly 'call me later, hon', he entered the restaurant and Hermione stared down at the letter. _

_After pulling off the ribbon, her eyes met this:_

Hermione,

I suppose you think I should give you the benefit of the doubt considering your vast intellect, but pretend for a moment that you're not super-witch—_Hermione_ _rolled her eyes_—and just follow these basic instructions.

On a side note, I've been thinking about you all day and I can honestly say that I've never said such a thing to a woman before (Probably because it's never been true until now). I also have never taken a girl to the place I want you to meet me at. In the name of Merlin, this is a very personal place for me so be prepared.

-Draco

_Hermione huffed at his mockery, literally making a face at his sarcasm, before she pulled out the second slip of parchment from behind the first._

"_Directions?" she whispered aloud, noting they were unfamiliar to her. She didn't know the general area which sent off a red-flag._ I have half a mind to just go home. I'll owl him later and tell him I couldn't make it. Perhaps I'll tell him we were a mistake altogether. It would be easier. _Then again, another corner of her mind whispered something different_. Why not just go? He's proven that he is a standup gentleman and has taken me on an assort of other dates. What have I got to lose? It's not like I've got anyone anymore. Now that I think about, he is really all I do have. Does that mean—No. I can't. There is no way my feelings are anything more than platonic. Right?

_After a few more minutes of debating with herself, again cursing Merlin for the loss of her sanity, she followed the directions._

_0000000_

"_Mother of Merlin," she breathed, her eyes wider than galleons. "How could he pull something like this off?"_

_Hermione couldn't believe her eyes. Here she was, a muggleborn witch, supposed to be on a date with a pureblood wizard, one infamously known for making her years at Hogwarts a living Hell, standing in the most gorgeous garden she'd ever seen._

_After taking Malfoy's directions to apparate here, walk there, she found herself standing in, what appeared to be, a piece of cherished property, far away from the likes of Diagon Alley or, she assumed (she'd never actually seen the place, but heard various rumors growing up), the haughty Malfoy Manor._

_The area was a cross between a meadow and a garden, both of which were astounding. The garden itself was filled with dozens and dozens of flowers, colors ranging from purple to pink to yellow, greens lined all around. A pink bougainvillea grew along the outer rocks, a flowering border for all the other lovely plants. Several roses were in bloom _(he must have charmed them; roses don't bloom this time of year) _giving the entire place the most divine smell. A waterfall grazed around a high brick of silver rocks, water cascading down in a soft, flowing fashion to a small creek below. Hermione's eyes searched for the riverhead which led to the open meadow. The pasture was seemingly an open field with hills and knolls, the marshy lea looking green and gorgeous._

_Her eyes could see on for miles without a figure in sight. She should have felt alone yet she'd never felt more whole in her life. Hermione reveled in the feeling._

"_It's beautiful, isn't it?"_

_His deep voice sent shivers down her spine (the good kind!) though she kept her cool, continuing to face the marsh, away from him._

"_I found this place a few years back when I was doing a bit of soul searching. Don't ask me how I came about it, I don't quite remember myself given I'd been drunk that night. Nonetheless, I woke up here and I um...I never wanted to leave."_

"_I can see why. It's wonderful." Hermione hadn't cried tears of joy in so long, but damn - this was making it hard to keep the tears at bay; it was that incredible. "Whose land is this?"_

"_Mine," he said humbly, his grey eyes cast on the water lilies floating in the brook. "A muggle owned the land and said he no longer needed it. Something about stockings doing well."_

"_You mean capital stocks?" she asked jovially._

"_Yeah, stocks. Said he wanted to go somewhere tropical and didn't need the property anymore. So I offered him a hefty sum and he handed it over to me. I did a little bit of refining, a bit of magic here and there, and that's really it. I've been living out here ever since."_

"_You live here?" she asked, turning around to face him. She took a moment to check him up and down, eyeing his wonderful choice of attire. She was surprised to see him so lax, wearing only a black shirt with the sleeves rolled up and black slacks. She'd put on an exquisite dress and he went on to wear casual clothes. _Such a guy thing to do.

"_I live out there–" he pointed to the left of Hermione to a small house on the outer rim of the garden, an adorable white picket fence all around–"and I couldn't love it more. It's quiet and away from everyone. I'm in the city all day for business so apparating here at night really makes life just...peaceful."_

_Hermione nodded in agreement and turned away, again just staring at the open field with fascination._

"_So you really haven't brought a girl back here? I honestly cannot believe that," she told him truthfully. "You seem far too much the playboy."_

_Draco let out a hearty laugh and said, "I'll admit to have spent a fair share of time with the ladies, but I don't bring them here. If we do decide to, you know, carry things out that evening then it's always at their place. Plus, I usually don't see girls more than once and if I do, it doesn't extend beyond a third date. You're the first person to come along that I not only have seen longer than anyone else, but you're the first person in a long time that I can see having as a friend."_

"_Friend?"_

_Draco put his hand to her shoulder and insistently turned her to face him. Once their eyes met, he affirmed, "Friend. I like you, Hermione."_

_Hermione felt a smile spread across her face. Something about hearing his words, simple and near-childlike, made butterflies buzz around her stomach. Quickly, so as not to alert him of how much he affected her, she turned away and started walking into the meadow. The wind was blowing and she felt a rush excel throughout her very soul. _

"_You coming?" she asked mischievously._

"_Coming where?" he asked bemused._

_Hermione did not respond through sound but opted to show him visually. She lifted up her right heel and yanked it off, repeating the step for the left foot before throwing the shoes behind her (she would _accio_ them later). Then, she pulled her hair out from the confines of her ponytail and shook it out, letting her brown locks fall all over the place. Once she felt fit, she started running into the open field with her eyes closed._

_With the wind in her long hair and the soft grass beneath her feet, she felt young again. Something about running without a direction in the dead of night managed to alter her depressing state, like it was vanishing. It was almost a form of rebirth for her, a way for her to restore her innocence and virtue, all of which she thought had been lost when her family and friends died. For a moment, she was sixteen again at Hogwarts._

_Draco watched in awe for a moment, a content smile playing at his lips before he too ran into the field, intent on catching her. _

_Their young laughter filled the air, roaring about like echos on a mountain top and it wasn't long before Draco wrapped his strong arms around her from behind. He pulled her down to the ground, throwing himself onto his back to take the blunt of the easy impact. Hermione laughed before silence reigned, the two staring back at each other as their breath mingled in a hot dance. She didn't know exactly when he started, but before she could really make sense of it, he inclined his head up and brushed her lips._

_It was a chaste kiss, a quick kiss, but a kiss nonetheless. Hermione pulled back instantly and dragged herself away, choosing to lay next to him with her elbows hoisting her up. Draco remained in the same spot though opted for crossing his legs leisurely and cushioning his head by placing his hands beneath._

"_Why did you bring me here?" she asked, breaking the silence. "I mean, we've had a sea of dates. We've gone to the Broken Wand and the Liana in downtown London. We've gone to the Grapevine and—"_

"_And every nice, expensive restaurant around where we were swarmed by photographers and reporters. Yes, I've asked you out several times and we've gone out. Don't get me wrong, I had an amazing time each outing, but I thought this..." he gestured to the area by waving his hand back and forth, "could perhaps bring you some revival."_

"_Revival?" she repeated, not understanding precisely what he meant._

"_Yeah, revival." Draco sat up and faced her, taking her left hand in his. "I know you think you should have died on that field and I can almost respect that."_

_Hermione looked down, but he was having none of it. He tilted her chin back up and forced her to meet his eyes, staring at her with an admiring mein she'd never seen before._

"_I said almost. Look, your friends died and you survived; I can understand how much pain you're in considering the same went for me. Albeit the dark side claimed my family long ago through brainwashing, but I digress. You survived and they didn't, but that doesn't mean you have to feel the way you do," he told her firmly, his hand still grasping her chin; "I know you want to crawl away from everyone else, but why? Why do that when you're in a place like this with a man who was never meant to feel anything? Why can't you see that there are things to live for?"_

"_Like what?" she asked._

"_Look around you. This entire place is life; the grass, the flowers, the animals roaming...it's all life," he whispered._

"_I know..."_

"_You've got me to live for."_

_His words nearly knocked her over. All breath escaped her as she met his eyes, those beautiful oceans of grey ice, ironically so guarded yet incredibly inviting. _

"_I'm falling for you, Hermione."_

_Hermione sucked in a deep breath before he leaned over to kiss her again. This time, however, she responded in kind, allowing him to lower her to the ground and get lost in the grassy knoll. _

_His kiss was intoxicating. _

_His kiss made her feel alive... _

Hermione bolted upright in bed, perspiration on her pale forehead. Realizing where she was she dropped her face in her hands and sighed, "He's a wonderful man. Merlin, he's wonderful. And he loved me. He really loved me..."

* * *

A/N: So? What did you guys think? I know there wasn't a lot of magic in this chapter, but fear not - there will be a lot in the upcoming ones. Oh and I know some of you are probably going to ask what about the piece of jewelry he gave her and why did she have a key - since so many of you are observant - and I'll say don't worry about it! I will discuss their importance in the next chapter.

I hope this makes up for the short chapter before :)

READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it.

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	7. Who She Was to Him, Part 2

**Who She Was to Him, Part 2 - Chapter 7**

Hermione paced her room for well over an hour, a million thoughts running through her mind. Most of the time, she huffed to herself incoherent nonsense, only throwing in rational thoughts every few moments.

"Okay, so he loved me," she grumbled, making a few mumbled sounds of slight mistrust. She then went on, "It did seem like I loved him. I sure as hell liked that kiss. I was practically purring!"

She clamped a hand over her mouth in fear of waking up her pregnant friend and her pregnant friend's very tired, incredibly attentive husband who, as of late, was receiving rather harsh treatment from his wife. She was, after all, in the last stages of her pregnancy. The woman was bound to be cranky.

Hermione removed her hand once she calmed herself down and sat on the edge of the bed, rubbing her face in exhaustion. Sleep desperately wanted to come, but she feared she'd have another dream.

"Not dream. I'm remembering...and I don't think I want to."

Eventually sleep seemed far too much a necessity to further ignore so she crawled under her sheets and closed her eyes. After rolling over several times and adjusting her pillow to the point of nearly shredding it, she fell back into a restless sleep...

"_I'd like for you to come inside," he whispered, his hot breath cascading down her neck and tingling every inch of her skin. His lips grazed ever so lightly that it nearly made her fall over and she probably would have had he not been holding her so tight. _

_After swallowing thickly and regaining some composure, she looked up to meet his eyes. "Are you sure you want this? I mean...you did tell me earlier that you've never taken a girl here, let alone in your actual home."_

_Draco smiled, nodding and looking down. "Yes," he agreed, "I did say that though it's far from a home. However, I believe that I also mentioned that our dates never extended beyond date number three, most of which involved some more...physical dating techniques."_

_Hermione quirked up her right eyebrow, a light smile touching her lips._

"_You, on the other hand, are different. Hermione I...I just kissed you for the first time and we're well beyond date three. Do you honestly think I would have asked you here if I didn't care about you? Come on, I thought you were smart."_

_That did her in. Immediately she huffed and clamped her arms across her chest, the furrow cast between her brow. "How dare—"_

_He silenced her with a kiss, surging his lips against hers while kneading his hands at her hips. She struggled for a moment in exasperation before succumbing to his caresses and returning his kiss. All the anger seemed to fade away from her, leaving her breathless and nearly lightheaded. Taking a cue from the other that breathing was a necessary means for survival, they parted and panted heavily, keeping their foreheads clunked together._

"_Come inside..." he whispered._

_Feeling much too dizzy to voice her words, she nodded and allowed him to whisk her away through the meadow toward his house, small hand in his..._

_0000000_

_Hermione had not expected the house to be as simple as it was. Even after the several dates she shared with him and knew he was well beyond the snotty child he grew up as, the back of her mind expected at least a few items to be insanely out of the ordinary. He was an incredibly cultured man, yet, his quaint house was just as plain and basic as her own, albeit in the more manly sense. All of his furniture featured dark colors; the typical blacks, greys, and navy blues that most men go for. His walls were a creamy white and his carpet appeared the color of charcoal grey, almost like the color of damp concrete. _

_What struck Hermione was the complete lack of pictures in the place. He had coffee tables and side desks so why in the world would he not have any pictures atop? Not even one of his family? Not even one of, perhaps, somebody he cared about?_

"_Take a seat," he told her, snapping her out of her daze. "I'll go get us some drinks so just...um, make yourself comfortable."_

_Hermione had never seen him more flustered and she found it positively endearing. Whenever at a restaurant or in public he seemed calm and collected around her, much like the suave detectives she loved watching in old films. Now that they were alone and he confessed his feelings in such an earnest manner, he seemed more on edge than per his usual._

_She sighed and sat down on the couch, leaning back and closing her eyes. A part of her wanted to admit her own feelings for him, confess everything she felt right back at him, but her brain held her back_. Hermione Granger's downfall will probably be the notion of thinking too much. Now I'm referring to myself in third person as well as talking to myself...yep, you're sanity is gone Miss Gra—STOP IT! _She wanted to tell him, but couldn't do it. Perhaps if she was being honest with herself, then she would have realized it was because of the fear to open up again...the fear to lose again._

_Draco returned with a bottle of red wine and two glasses, frowning at Hermione's melancholy expression._

"_Sickle for your thoughts," he muttered, sitting down next to her and pouring their drinks. _

"_Just thinking," she sighed easily. Her demeanor changed when she saw the wine and cringed. "Ugh, I hate the stuff. I can't drink that."_

"_What's so wrong with it?" he asked, handing her a glass in spite of her reaction._

"_I had some of my mother's at a party when I was around fourteen. I hated it and I haven't touched it since," she told him as she sniffed it, making a face even though it didn't exactly repulse her._

_Draco chuckled and pushed the drink toward her which she attempted to hand back. "It's been a long time and I highly doubt anybody at fourteen would like it. So, try it again and then tell me if you still hate it."_

_Hermione quirked her mouth into an apprehensive mien before submitting and taking a sip. "It's not bad," she admitted sheepishly._

"_I told you," he said smugly, taking a sip himself._

"_Just because it doesn't blow doesn't mean it's great either," she snapped, though there was no rancor in her voice. In fact, it made Draco burst out laughing._

"_Hermione, you are one of a kind," he said, still chuckling._

_From there they were enveloped in silence. It was not the type of silence created out of awkwardness or met with the feeling that someone needed to speak. Quite the opposite, really, as Hermione and Draco both found it comfortable and easy to listen to. _

_She snuggled up against him, just sitting on his couch and listening to him breath. Hearing him breathe was honestly becoming one of her favorite sounds. She could fall asleep sitting like that, encased safely in his arms. _

_After several minutes, she broke the silence with a question. "What was with the key?" she asked softly. Draco's laughter was reborn and Hermione looked at him oddly. "What is so funny?"_

"_I was wondering when you were finally going to ask me about that. I just knew your inquisitive nature would get the best of you," he told her easily._

"_Is that a bad thing?" Her brow dropped into a 'V' like shape when she asked._

_Shaking his head, he said, "Not at all. Your intelligence happens to be one of your most attractive qualities."_

_Blushing, she looked down and merely waited for him to speak again._

"_Stay here," he said as he moved her off him gently, letting her curl up with her legs beneath her body, "I want to show you something. Let me get it."_

_She waited curiously and felt a surge of unexpected surprise when he returned with a sufficient-sized box, a small keyhole in the front. He placed it on the table in front of her before he moved back to take her in his arms._

"_What's that?" she asked._

"_That would be what the key opens," he told her, leaning in to smell her hair and brush his lips against her temple. His right hand moved across her belly and kneaded at the material, eliciting a moan from her seemingly on her mouth's own accord. She turned her face to rub against his chin, the stubble chaffing her healthy and smooth complexion though it hardly registered to her. Quite the opposite, really, seeing as she thought a man looked best with a light goatee across his face. His hands pulled her tighter against him forcing a smile from her. It had been such a long time since she felt protected._

"_What, um, is inside?" she forced out, her eyes still closed and her hands clenching into the material of both her dress and his black slacks._

"_Inside," he whispered, barely grazing his lips against her ear, "is something for you. It's something that I don't think most would ever consider giving to you because, like you said, I think very few actually listen to you. Otherwise, I doubt you would have gotten as deep into your self-loathing as you have."_

"_Dra—"_

"_Hear me out, Hermione." Upon those words, he pulled back to stare into her eyes, appearing like he was trying to get a difficult concept across to a very young child. "You cannot deny that you're in a dark place nor am I saying it's not justified. Merlin, I think you're doing incredibly well given what has happened to you. I'm downright impressed!"_

_As if on cue, she dropped her gaze in that moment, but he would not allow her to remain staring down. He tilted her chin back up with the insistent force of his right hand._

"_Don't do that. You can't...you can't keep averting your gaze when clearly you have earned the right to hold your chin up. My God, Hermione, you're the most incredible woman I've ever met and yet..."_

_He broke off, evidently thinking about what to say; like he was choosing his words very carefully._

"_I've dated many girls," he said distastefully. "I've dated so many girls that I've lost count and not one of them ever spoke about herself in a manner I saw to be fitting. Most spoke about their accomplishments, many of them I didn't even find proficient, and not once did they speak badly of themselves. You, on the other hand, have done so many incredible things, but in spite of that you keep your eyes downcast and rarely speak of the good things. I kept asking myself why and why until I finally realized it."_

_She bit her lip as he cupped her face in both his hands, willing her to keep his gaze. Leaning forward to brush his lips against hers as he spoke, he whispered, "You truly were a hero rather than just appearing to be one."_

_Before she could respond, before anything coherent could even leave her mouth, he claimed her lips in a deep kiss. She gave in and allowed him to encircle her again. Getting lost into him and his lips felt like coming home for her, like releasing the built up pain she thought would haunt her forever. _

_Several minutes later, they broke apart, his arms still holding her tightly against him. Hermione forgot how good it felt to snog and certainly wanted to continue the endeavor after she finished the conversation; she had not disregarded how he seemed to avoid her question about the box._

"_So," she began, once she felt able, "what's in the box? You never did answer me."_

"_Granger, must you be impatient?" he asked and earned himself a giggle from her. He sighed, "As I was saying before we, er, engaged into a more sensual art, I was talking about how what's inside that box is something nobody else would get you. You see, I think while your friends mean well they still think of you as the bookworm you were in school."_

"_Hey! I'll have you know that I still am a bookworm," she shrieked, sounding hurt that he would insinuate she no longer cared for her trusty hardbacks (though her smile gave her away - she clearly did not take too much offense). _

"_I'm well aware, my dear, but I doubt that even you want a book on every occasion, hm?"_

_She didn't respond, opting to snuggle even closer to him. He appeared satisfied with her non-verbal answer and continued, "I think your close friends still see you as the Hermione who went to Hogwarts. They have yet to see you the way that I do...they don't see the woman you are now. Like most people, I think it scares them."_

"_Why would that scare them?" she asked tentatively._

"_It would mean change and we all know how welcome change is for most people." The sarcasm did not go unnoticed._

_Draco rubbed her arm up and down in lazy strokes, still taking every opportunity to smell her lovely hair._

_He finally continued, "You, too, don't want to change Hermione and change is in that box. I assure you it's not a book or a picture or anything else of your past, but something which will push you forward. It's something that I thought would help you see that it's okay to let go and it's okay to be happy. You don't have to spend the rest of your life being Hermione Granger, one-third of the Golden Trio and the innocent Gryffindor bo–avid reader." Hermione couldn't help but smile at his correction though it disappeared as quickly as it came._

"_Every hero deserves the chance to be himself, or in our case, herself after their heroic deed is finished. You deserve to live life and now it's just a matter if you'll do it," he murmured against her temple. "You have the means, but do you have the will?"_

The will? I had the will. I had a lot of that back when I was fighting alongside them. He's right. Do I still have that? Can I have that?_—then it struck her—_I'ma Gryffindor so OF COURSE I have that!

"_I can have the will. I have the will, Draco," she said tenuously (in spite of her recent thoughts)._

"_Prove it."_

_And she did. Hermione sat up, gulped slightly as to adjust herself into a more comfortable position, and moved her body toward the end of the couch. Pulling the key out from a slip in her dress, a movement which forced Draco to, er, readjust himself, she held her breath before slipping it into the lock. Turning it fully clockwise one time, she heard the familiar click of it unfastening. Slowly, she lifted it up and stared at the content inside, dumbfounded._

"_That's...that is what you claim will bring upon my epiphany?" she asked nonplussed._

_Draco laughed lightly and responded, "No. What I said brought upon your epiphany. This is merely a reminder to continue with it." He smirked as she eyed him curiously before pulling out the item and scanning it over with interest._

_It was a bracelet. It was a single, silver bracelet with antique indents all around. The plain object just seemed so...plain? Yes, plain, there was no other word for it._

"_Put it on," he instructed simply._

_Without glancing at him, she did as she was told and placed it about her wrist. Directly after the clasp was snapped, writing appeared on its own accord._

Don't wallow in yesterday, don't marvel over tomorrow, but breathe into today and all the love amid.

_She returned to his gaze and nearly wept when he said, "The love amid is right in front of you."_

_Hermione licked her lips and moved her eyes back and forth from Draco to the bracelet. He pulled her back into his arms, feeling her tremble, and kissing her cheek as means to calm her nerves. Right before he was about to claim her lips again, she said, "If that was a line, it worked."_

_Draco smiled genuinely as he muttered, "Good. Though it was anything but a line." _

_Then he kissed her._

_And then he kissed her again._

0000000

"So how did everything go with Draco last night?" asked Ginny nonchalantly, waddling her big body to the kitchen table with a bowl of pickles and vanilla ice cream, acting like she was just trying to make conversation. The girl pulled out a mahogany chair and sat down with a heavy thud, her pink checkered, maternity dress getting caught on the chair leg. Hermione reached down and adjusted her friend's skirt, the girl smiling afterward.

"Thanks," she said cheerily. "So, now, what were we talking about again? Oh yeah, the date; how'd it go?"

Sensing this just a ploy to get the details out of her, Hermione gauged her response and mumbled, "Fine." Plain and simple, nothing else.

"Come on, Hermione. I know you don't exactly feel anything for him, but I've been stuck at home with swollen ankles and a fat ass for the last month. My husband thinks I'm disgusting and I'm fat and I want this bloody baby out of me!"

"I've seen Blaise with you. He does not think you're disgusting in the least," retorted Hermione with lifted eyebrows.

"Oh shut up. You got to give me something!"

Hermione did not want to keep a pregnant woman in duress (the last weeks had proven just how bad hormones can get) so she complied. "We just had dinner and talked. Nothing really out of the ordinary so don't get your knickers in a twist."

Taking a large bite and chomping on a sour pickle, she thought, "You didn't discuss anything of importance? You didn't talk about the kids or about him or about you or about anything?!"

"Well, I asked him who I was to him," she commented like it was nothing out of the ordinary. Ginny put her spoon down and looked at her like Professor Binns just flew out from the top of her head. Hermione rolled her eyes and continued, "And he said I was his everything. He said, in so many words, that he was truly in love with me and I with him."

Ginny gave her a very Malfoy-ish smirk before Hermione asked, "You want to know the crazy thing about the whole thing?"

The redhead's attention turned back to her many pickles, but after taking a bite, she inquired, "What's that?"

"I believe him."

The dark-haired girl stood up from her seat and left the room. As Ginny watched her leave, she spotted a silver bracelet sparkling on Hermione's wrist.

* * *

A/N: When Draco spoke about being a hero to Hermione, that quote did not come from me. It actually derived from Baltasar Gracian who said, "Aspire rather to be a hero than merely appear one." 

Also, the bracelet reading derived from the Buddha quote, "Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment."

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	8. The Planetarium

**The Planetarium - Chapter 8**

"I think it's time that I go home," muttered Hermione, nonchalantly stirring her drink with a chewed straw, one of the many muggle devices Ginny grew attached to during her years of friendship with Hermione. Ginny, who'd been reading the Daily Prophet and sipping on Blaise's wonder tonic (A.K.A. - a raspberry smoothie), looked up with a questioning gaze.

"Pardon?"

"I think it's time that I go back. You know, to Malfoy and those kids. I-I think they need me," she muttered, keeping focus on the red straw.

"Of course they need you! Oh, this is wonderful. Draco will be so happy and those kids will be over the moon," she screamed, clapping her hands together in gleeful excitement. Her joyous celebration must have echoed throughout the house because out of nowhere, Blaise stormed the kitchen to come at a skidding halt in front of the two women.

"What's wrong? Is it time?" he asked, completely flushed and attempting to breathe. Ginny lifted her hands over her mouth, stifling the giggles threatening to come out. Once she had them under control, she waddled over to her husband and kissed him gently on the cheek.

"Honey, it's not time. You need to calm down."

"CALM DOWN?! You could go into labor at any minute and you're telling me to calm down? Honestly, _women_, I can't bloody understand you lot!"

Ginny sucked in her top lip, keeping her blue eyes locked on her husband's green ones. After his skin returned to the normal olive hue and his breathing relaxed to the point of normalcy, she smiled at him.

"You done?" she asked, causing Hermione to burst out laughing behind them. Blaise nodded sheepishly, suddenly looking like a wounded puppy, unable to meet Ginny's eyes. "Okay, now go be a big boy and floo over to Draco's. Tell him that Hermione has decided to come home."

"Really?" asked Blaise flabbergasted. "That's—"

"Hold up! I said I was thinking about it, but I never fully agreed," she argued, standing up to face the both of them. "I just don't know...if..."

"Don't know what? You said it yourself, those kids need you," said Ginny firmly.

"Yeah. Furthermore, Draco needs you too. Man is going bonkers without you."

Hermione remained silent, drinking in Blaise's words to the fullest. _He's right. They're both right. Those kids and Malfoy need me. Truth be told, I think I need them too._

"Alright. Yes, alright, you can tell him that I'm coming home. I want to come home."

0000000

After packing up the articles of clothing she'd kept folded neatly in the mahogany drawer, Hermione collapsed on the edge of the bed. The weight was back on her shoulders, the one which matched that of the world - you know, the big heavy one - and she'd never felt so exhausted. The thought of returning to a life she didn't know, one which involved a husband she despised and two kids she didn't remember ever having, in no way appealed to her. Even so, she had to return.

Feeling the overwhelming need to close her eyes, Hermione scooted herself back. Smashing her head against the soft cushion of the pillow felt like limbo.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," she murmured, her half-lidded eyes finally shutting. "After all, he's rather a nice chap...in m'dreams..."

Her sleep-slurred words gave way and she submitted to a welcomed witchnap...

_Draco tipped the black tea cup to his lips, drinking the hot liquid with delight. Hermione, standing near the doorway where he obviously hadn't spotted her yet, giggled when she saw a blob of vanilla mousse on the tip of his nose. Shaking her head, the girl marched over to where he sat and slid next to him, smiling at him with a cheeky grin._

"_Hey," he greeted, placing his cup back down, mousse still sitting on his nose. "You ready to go?"_

"_Yes I am. Let's go," she told him._

"_Where are you taking me?" he asked as he finished paying his tab and joined her in a standing position._

_Hermione shook her head in a firm indication that she held no intention of telling him before they reached their date destination. After all, it was her turn to treat him and did she ever have one planned. Girl had been going mad all day just thinking about it._

"_Oh and you might want to remove that," she whispered right before she lapped the tasty cream from his nose. Draco smiled as she licked her lips clean, taking her hand in his own. "Yummy."_

"_What would I do without you?"_

"_Walk around with whipped cream all over your handsome face," she teased before tugging on his arm and pulling him outside of their favorite coffee shop. Checking her surroundings and noting that most of the couples around them were enjoying their Friday evening engrossed in themselves, Hermione led Draco to a side alley, preparing to joint-apparate. Interlacing their fingers together and resting her head beneath his chin, the safest position she could ever be in, she apparated them away to land squarely in front of a building Draco had never seen before._

"_Planetarium?" he muttered, reading the large letters glowing in green, a few neon bulbs flashing stars every few seconds. "What is this place?"_

"_A planetarium is a sort of theatre. Muggles come here to learn more about the stars and constellations. Inside of the dome is a large image screen where moveable stars, planets, and such are projected. Kind of like a movie."_

_Draco looked at her puzzled, obviously caught off guard at never having heard of such a thing before. "You mean muggles come here just to look at stars? Isn't that what the sky is for?"_

_Hermione walked toward him and leaned into his chest, suppressing a shudder when she felt his hands rest on the curves of her hip. She sighed, closing her eyes and feeling something more powerful than she could ever imagine or explain. He made her feel safe and loved and...perfect._

"_Unlike you, Mister Wizard, muggles can't always rely on the night sky. Electric lights from the city often hide the stars, not to mention they must deal with harsh weather conditions they are unable to manipulate," she reasoned sensibly. "Besides, this allows them to learn about the stars and not just gaze. I, for one, never like to pass up the opportunity to learn."_

"_Forever the bookworm," he whispered, placing a gentle kiss against her forehead._

_She smiled and pulled away from him, admiring the tall man from head to toe. She had told him to dress casual so he'd chosen to wear black slacks with a button up, blue shirt (dark blue, naturally). Even when laid-back and informal, he still managed to make Hermione hot with desire._

_That was not to say she didn't have the same effect on him. His grey eyes scanned her up and down, enjoying the view. In a fitted white sweater with sleeves to the elbow and a black peasant skirt draped down to her knees, he thought she looked like a sweet pixie; his sweet pixie. Her hair was down though the sides were pulled back in silver clips, glistening with every flash of the neon sign behind them. On top of this, she'd chosen to wear silver ballet flats, keeping her a good foot shorter than him. _

"_Did I mention how stunning you look?" he asked as he grasped her hand._

_Biting her lip and giving him the impression he'd made her shy all over again, something which happened frequently between the couple, he sighed. Reaching forward and cupping her face with both his hands, he said, "You look beautiful. Please don't look away from me when I say it. You must know that I mean it."_

"_I know," she told him, though Draco didn't miss the slight quaver in her voice. Before he allowed himself to dwell on it, he reached down and kissed her fervently on the lips. She responded on kind, sucking on his bottom lip and wrapping her arms around his neck._

_A low whistle from behind brought them out of their embrace. They looked to see a couple passing by, smiles on their faces and laughter on the breath._

"_Aren't you suppose to wait until after you're seated in the dark for that kind of thing?" quipped the brunet man, the girl on his arm smiling at Hermione and Draco. She chimed in, "You two might want to hurry. The next showing starts in ten minutes."_

"_Thanks," muttered Draco, turning his attention back to Hermione. "I suppose they're right. I guess it's time you show me why muggles insist on such a thing as this–this planetarium."_

"_I assure you," she told him, interlacing her arm with his and walking toward the double doors; "you won't regret it. You of all people will probably enjoy this more than most."_

_0000000_

"_Draco, I bought the tickets several days ago. Besides, it's not like we're still living in medieval times; women can pay every now and then," she scolded._

"_I don't like the idea. I still can't believe you won't let me pay," he muttered in an annoyed fashion. "I was raised a gentleman and a gentleman does not have his lady pay."_

"_Draco, we've been dating for months!"_

"_Well aware, sweetheart, but I still don't like it. It just seems wrong to me," he whined._

_Rolling her eyes, Hermione grabbed his hand and pulled him forward into the main seating area of the arena. It was about three-fourths full, most of the people having encompassed themselves to the front, a horde of chaos just to be close. Hermione frowned, looking a bit put off._

"_What's wrong?" he asked her, giving her hand a gentle squeeze._

"_All the seats in the front are taken," she whined, pouting with her lip protruded out. _

_Draco shrugged and said, "I don't mind. Plus, sitting in the back lets me hold onto you without bothering anyone behind us."_

_Agreeing with his sensible logic, they led themselves to the back of the stadium into a quiet corner. Just as he had intended, his left arm wrapped around her and pulled her close, her head nestled in the hollow where his shoulder met his throat. He smiled into her hair, kissing the top of her head affectionately._

"_You smell amazing," she murmured, snuggling even closer to him._

"_I know. I'm told that everyday by numerous women so I've grown accustom to that compliment," he spouted off, feeling her smile against his neck; "thank you all the same."_

"_Oh please," she sputtered, though despite her tone, she laughed._

_Draco looked up and focused on the ceiling, attempting to figure out this place she'd taken him. The odd dome supposedly was going to be like a movie and show them the stars. He still didn't understand her logic, but she'd never been wrong before - he didn't doubt that he'd like it._

"_So I'm going to like this?" he asked her softly._

"_I think so. At least, I know you'll appreciate it. It's in your nature, love."_

_Draco's lips quirked into that smile, the one nobody ever saw while he studied at Hogwarts and the one he saved for only one person; Hermione. It was amazing the change she'd brought in him during their span of time together. If someone would have told him a year ago that he'd be sitting in such an odd place holding Hermione Granger, he would have called the person crazy. 'Can you imagine?!' would have been his first voiced opinion._

_Her eloquent charisma and charm mystified him more and more with each passing day. Her unpredictable allure drew him in like a man searching for water in a dry desert. She was his mirage only real and very much within reach, saved only for him. Hermione always seemed to find the good in things (except when it came to herself), certain qualities which he himself never would have thought about before. Like her obsession with water lilies; she once told him they should be featured in everyone's backyard just because they're 'good for the soul'._ _Or her love for the name Roxanne strictly because it means 'the dawn'. She once claimed, 'the dawn is the best part of the day. With each morning it is the start of a new beginning.' Yes, she said some of the most loony things, but he couldn't get enough of her. _

_Not to say he didn't bring the best out of her. Draco certainly brought Hermione back to life. He revived the girl who was lost after the war and the one nobody expected to ever exist again. _

_Draco was her ankh._

_After seven months of pure and simple bliss, Draco couldn't have been happier. Well, he wished so often and hard that Hermione returned his feelings more vocally, but he knew it was just not in her nature. Perhaps it was back at Hogwarts, but not after all that happened to her._

_Before he could lose himself completely in his thoughts, something he did often when dreaming about the life he wanted to share with Hermione, the lights darkened to a dull glow and the audience began to applaud. Looking down, Draco spotted an almost child-like grin on Hermione's face, the girl eager to begin whatever this...er, planetarium thing was. No matter, as long as she was happy then so was he._

"_Ladies and gentlemen," bellowed a stocky, pudgy man in a black suit, his coat tails practically brushing on the base of the floor. His bald head reflected the light coming from the stars above, but he looked at peace and pleased with himself over his job. "Welcome to the night known as Astronomical Paradise!"_

_The crowd, including Hermione, all erupted in loud cheers as the man bowed to them, excited to begin his presentation._

"_Tonight's exposition will begin with the various constellations of our night sky..."_

_Before long, Draco involved himself with the show just like everyone else, keen on learning more about astronomy from the overweight man than he cared to admit (He was still a Malfoy, after all). Before he entered the building, Draco believed he had a great understanding of the stellar world surrounding the planet. After listening for nearly a half-an-hour, Draco couldn't believe how much knowledge he lacked in the field._

"_Wow..." he muttered flabbergasted, Hermione chuckling beside him. They just finished discussing the constellation of 'the seven sisters', or what is more commonly referred to as Pleiades, and Draco again found himself learning something new. "I didn't know they were the daughters of Atlas. I just thought they were random girls Orion was after."_

"_You should read that book I got from Molly. It's all about the mysteries of the stars," she told him thoughtfully._

_Before Draco could respond, the announcer, who was referred to as Steve, caught Draco's attention._

"_Now, on to the faint constellation of Draco or what we sometimes call Dragon," he told the audience, various oohs and aahs emitted as the extensive star path lit up above their heads. Draco followed each star, smiling smugly at his namesake. "Draco can be found in the Northern Hemisphere in between both the Big Dipper and Hercules. This particular collection of stars seems to be a favorite among many astronomy lovers strictly on the ground of how faint and mysterious it is. Unlike others, such as the two it's between, Draco's brightness, or lack there of, often make it hard to find."_

"_Hmm. Now who does that sound like?" teased Hermione, poking Draco in the ribs._

"_We Dracos can't help it if others can't read us. It's not in our nature to be blunt and obvious," he snipped, poking her right back. After laughing quietly and sharing a quick kiss, they turned their focus back to the man and listened with intent for another hour._

_0000000_

"_Hermione, tell me why we're still here again?" asked Draco, walking down the aisle toward the stage, the location she currently was in. "I believe my home has a perfectly good couch fit for snogging like two teenage kids at Hogwarts."_

"_You and I are adults, Draco. We no longer snog," she told him though her eyes betrayed her. So much mirth and bliss was hard to hide._

"_Right," he agreed nonetheless. "Well, can you at least answer my question? Even though muggles can't exactly control us as well as say magic-folk, I still don't think they'd appreciate us being here after closing."_

_Hermione, who'd been fussing with something in the front, finally smiled and clapped her hands together as though she'd solved an Arithmancy problem. Suddenly Draco heard a noise and looked up, watching the various stars form again above his head._

"_That's what you were doing? Honey, you very well could have used magic," he said sensibly._

_Shrugging, she stepped down and grabbed his hand, leading them back to their former location in the back of the room. Once situated, her snuggling against him like before, they sat in silence, staring at the pretty lights dazzling in the wake of the late midnight hours. The planetarium closed thirty minutes prior, but by casting the correct spells, the muggles vanished out of the building as if they never even noticed the young couple sitting in the back. Two guards checked the room and once they thought it safe and sound, they locked it and left. That left Hermione and Draco alone in the room, free to do whatever they wanted with the help of a bit of their own technology (ahem...er, their wands)._

"_Um..." she said, sounding shaky, "Did you like it? The show I mean?"_

_He replied cheerfully, "It was wonderful! Who knew muggles could be so creative in their choice for evening activities?"_

_Hermione laughed, reaching over to give him a soft kiss on the neck. She breathed in his scent one again, inhaling deeply as if trying to memorize it by heart. Not that she really needed to - she already knew everything about him by heart._

"_Good. I'm g-glad you liked it," she whispered, cursing inwardly at her stuttering. She knew without a doubt that he would catch on now. _Wait for it - three, two, o—

"_Hey," he started, turning her chin upward to face him. "What's wrong?"_

"_Why would you assume something is wrong?" she asked innocently._

"_You, my dear, only stutter when you're nervous and scared. I, for one, don't see anyone else in here so I can't imagine why you'd be scared over something like that. What's going on?"_

_She tried to pull back, to look down, but he wasn't having it. Brushing back a piece of her hair which blocked her right eye's line of view, she felt her stomach drop._

"_I uh...I want to tell you something. It's just...I can't figure out the right way to say it. You've always spoken so expressively that it baffles me. I don't know how to do that when it comes to my feelings."_

_Draco kissed her forehead, attempting to calm her nerves. If she wanted to tell him something then magic be damned, he was going to let her. He vowed to remain silent until she told him. Being the intelligent being and an intuitive girl, she caught on to his intention immediately._

"_For a while, I wanted to die. I just didn't see the point in living if I had nothing to live for. Then you bumped into me on the street and...I know you won't believe me, but I think I knew then that something was about to change. Call it a Trelawney feeling, but I just kind of knew," she whispered, her throat feeling like it had been sawed off by sandpaper._

"_I found you to live for," she sighed, tears welling up in her eyes. "You told me that I could love again and I could start to live each day without worrying over my past. I could breathe in everything new in my life. I...I finally did."_

_Draco's face shifted with so many different feelings; happiness, joy, worry, excitement...love. Yes, she saw love in his face more than any other emotion and by Merlin, it was near palpable. _

"_When you told me you loved me for the first time, you have no idea how happy you made me. I was so - what's the word? - astounded that somebody could love someone so dead. Those words were the initial push behind my awakening," she told him truthfully, bringing her left hand up to brush against his stubbly chin. "We were under the stars and everything seemed so magical; like nobody could hurt me or bring me down or anything; like you were my safe haven. You've been my safe haven every moment since then."_

_Draco couldn't resist, caught so off guard emotionally by her open declarations, that he cupped her face and kissed her deeply. He sucked on her bottom lip, nipping at it playfully, before he released her, still stroking her hair in the afterglow. _

"_You've been so patient with me. Merlin, it's been months and you've just waited for me both physically and mentally," she murmured into his neck, kissing various spots along his collarbone; "I can't even imagine how much agony I would be in if I was you."_

_She lifted up and smiled, surprised to see him with such a serious expression. He shook his head, kissed the tip of her nose, and clunked their foreheads together, their breath mingling in an intimate dance._

"_Since you've been so amazing...I uh, thought I should tell you in a way you'd remember."_

_The moment after her words were spoken, she pointed her wand toward the ceiling and Draco's mouth dropped. Out of nowhere, the blinking stars shifted from their locals to blend and mix like the opposite of cookies n' cream ice cream (Hermione's favorite), lambent in the dark sky. These new positions spelled out, clearer than anything she could have said, 'I love you, too' in the most elegant of scriptures._

_Draco, who'd told her those words months ago, hoping with each day to hear her respond in kind, felt the most intense emotions build up inside of him. As someone who grew up in a loveless household, rarely ever hearing or seeing an intimate gesture from either parent, almost felt lost over Hermione's declaration of love. Of course he'd wanted to hear the words, but he never expected to. He never expected for her to love him as much as he loved her, not for all the magic in Hogwarts - it didn't seem possible. Yet, she finally told him and what's more - he knew she meant it._

_Turning back down to meet her gaze, he found her biting her lip in anguish, waiting for a response. He opened his mouth, found nothing could come out, closed it, swallowed, and then attempted again; "Hermione."_

_With that, one word encompassing everything that needed to be said, he pulled her frantically to his chest and kissed her intensely without any intention of letting her go..._

Hermione's eyes opened, her body trembling in the wake of the memory that just flashed through her mind. Her mouth felt dry and her palms were sweaty, but her body was not responding like before; unlike the vicious awakenings from the memories before, as though they'd been nightmares.

She'd just woken up.

Plain and simple.

Rubbing her hands across her face, she murmured, "So I did love him. Merlin, I loved him and I had a right to."

"Hermione?"

She looked up to see Draco in the doorway staring at her with much concern. He noticed her shaking figure and immediately clamped down on his urge to rush to her and engulf her in his arms, protect her from whatever troubled her mind.

"Hello," she greeted, her breathing back to a regular level.

"I uh...Bailey and Roxy are waiting for you. They um, can't wait to see you," he told her, shuffling his feet by the door, looking much younger than his age. "I'll understand if you want more time."

"No," she said firmly, surprising him; "I want to go with you and with those kids—" and her next words (even when she said them, she didn't exactly know why she did), though seemingly innocent to anyone else who often uses the phrase, bemused Draco for _she should not have known to say this_—"since, after all, all of our love is written in the stars."

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A/N: Thanks for all your patience - I'm still a little bit loopy right now. Reviews are appreciated!

_A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine.


	9. Lovely Engagements

_A/N: Okay, I genuinely **hate** arrogance, but damn, I'm amazing right now! I hope you all appreciate the update because I'm in the middle of grueling finals (including my hardest one which is tomorrow so I should be studying!!) and I managed to finish this chapter. I hope you guys are all pleased with this one. This chapter has become one of my favorite ones, I think :)_

_I'm better now - Not healed, but...better. So I'm going to try to get back in the swing of things. That means I've got to start out by thanking all my lovely reviewers._

_Special thanks to: GypsyCarmen, mischievous female, MsRisa, Avanell, blondiexoxo, AnasellaEmm, tigger2025643119, EtrnlSakura, Remus's Girl, EmilyLovesYOU, moonkazoo, pAuLinAa, Angelo Del Ghiaccio, Rashel Quinn, GerGer-says, marauders rox, wait4it, dracoshott28, twin-v, Galiena Faehler, mary-pi, ginnyginny, ebbe04 and especially xmisundazt00d (well, your reviews make me happier!), Chocolateveela (I'll try to keep it up), CrystalizedHeart (Even short - I appreciate it!), and dynonugget (A GREAT place for us muggles!!)._

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**Lovely Engagements - Chapter 9**

Sitting at the dinner table and surrounded by three people she didn't really know, Hermione surprisingly smiled and listened to her daughter carrying on about her day.

"It's been so weird without you here. Where were you anyway? Oh and mum, you wouldn't believe it. Dad said that he uh, um...dad what word did you say?" she asked, brow furrowed between her eyes, the same way her mother's often did when stressed or confused. Draco, thanking Merlin for bringing his wife back home, didn't hear his daughter's question. "Magic to dad!"

"Huh?" he asked dazedly, meeting the inquisitive girl's eyes.

"I said, what word did you use? 'Member? When you were talking about your room and getting it ready for mummy."

Draco smiled and answered, "Primed."

"Oh yeah!" she burst out, smiling as though she had managed to remember it all on her own. "Dad said he primed it for you. I'm not sure what that means, but he seemed happy to do it, mum. Well, it could have something to do with how messy it was. Dad is such a slob when you're not he—"

"That's enough, Roxanne," said Draco firmly, giving his daughter a small smile.

The little girl shrugged, not put off in the least, and continued; "Anyway, 'member when you told me to make a picture for Auntie Ginny cause her baby is comin' soon? Well, I did! Dad says it's one of my best pictures," said the girl proudly.

"That's lovely, Roxy," replied Hermione, leaning on her palm.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, mashed potatoes splashed on a blinded-sided Hermione's face. She looked up startled and gasped as a giggling Bailey dropped his spoon to the floor with a metal clink.

"S'ry, mummy," he apologized, licking his fingers clean. Draco rose from his seat and cleaned up his son, scolding him all the while; "Bailey, you know better than that. What have your moth–what have I told you about that, hmm? That is not the sort of thing we do in this house, young man."

Hermione, who'd already cleaned herself up via her wand, stared at the young boy with wonderment. Somehow her and Malfoy managed to create this beautiful creature - their son - and she just...it was astonishing, really. Then there was the girl, a raving beauty with hair like her own. Oh and those dimples! If she could say anything about having to marry Malfoy it would be how he did bless their children with such beauty.

"I'm sorry, Hermione. Normally he acts much better than this, I assure you," murmured Draco, his pale cheek flushed from embarrassment. Bailey and Roxy both looked at him in sheer bewilderment, the latter, more than the former, wondering what the hell their father was going on about. However, before she could ask the question and get lost in another stream of babblement, Hermione broke the silence of the room.

"It's fine. No harm done. I certainly have means of fixing it and my eyes were cast downward, after all."

Draco's neck practically howled and cried out in protest from the rough treatment he just displayed. Immediately after the words left her lovely mouth, he jerked his head up so fast, clearly unsure if he'd imagined her saying such things. It was far from the first time since she had been awake that he'd wanted her to say certain banter, but he couldn't put his finger on whether she really just said that. It sounded oddly like the words she'd said, more or less, when they first started their relationship after bumping into one another, he spilling his coffee all over her.

"W-what did you say?" he stammered out.

Hermione met his eyes and for a brief moment, Draco gave into his dream of having his wife return. It looked like his wife starring back at him. Well,_ obviously_, but more so in the sense that her gaze seemed altered and different. An aura wrapped around her and sucked him in, much like his wife often did.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say?" he repeated, having seen her lips move, but didn't actually listen.

"I said it was no big deal," she sighed, a crease furrowing in her brow. "Um, are you alright? You look a bit pale, even for Malfoy standards."

His burning throat chaffed him, not allowing him to respond to her. Instead of standing there like an idiot, a messy spoon in one hand and a dirty napkin in the other, both the cause of his young son, he nodded. Being honest with himself, however, he was not fine. Not close to fine at all. His wife, his best friend, his everything was lost on him. Nothing of their life together registered to her. After all of their years together, some happy and some...well, not as happy, he didn't know a life without her. His biggest fear on top of which pounded in his head every five minutes. What would happen if she did remember everything? What would happen once she had to relive the parts of their past together that could be defined based on the 'for worse' parts of their wedding vows? What would happen then?

Had Bailey not tugged on his arm, Draco probably would have stood there all day, wallowing in his own misery and self-pity. He had his wife back in the physical sense, but he himself was not the same. He wouldn't - couldn't! - be the same until she returned to him.

"Pull yourself together, Malfoy," he hissed to himself.

"Yeah, pull yourself togeder!" repeated his son, giggling, lisping on the 's', not understanding anything of which he just said. Draco smiled all the same and picked him up, heading upstairs to put him to bed.

0000000

"I'll sleep downstairs. I won't deny you of your space," he said, already in the midst of grabbing a pillow when she halted him with the flash of her hand.

"I um..." she began unsteadily, obviously a battle forming in her pretty head; "I think...you can stay here."

"No," he said firmly, shaking his head for good measure. "You need sleep and I'm not about to have you sleep downstairs. You can take the bed and I'll go there. Besides, I know the house and those kids - they'll probably be up early so—"

"That's not what I meant," she interrupted, halting his babbles. "I meant that you could stay here...in the bed with me."

If it was humanly possible, which it almost was, Draco's eyes probably would have fallen out of his head and rolled beneath their very feet. _Did I hear correctly? No, no I must be hallucinating. There is no way in magic that she just agreed to that. _Even while his mind battled, his hopes rose more and more with each passing second.

"Um...what?" he finally chocked out.

Hermione looked down, clearly having a difficult time expelling her words. She looked as flustered as he felt - more so, even. "You can stay in the bed with me. I mean, you must keep your hands to yourself. I will not have you feeling me up in the middle of the night. My body may regularly be occupied by your wife, but right now it's mine." Draco had to hold back a laugh. She looked so adorable when she tried to act firm; definitely evidence she was only sixteen. "So, you can stay. Maybe something in my mind will click if you stay."

It was not as though he was going to pass up on the opportunity, but her final words definitely did him in. If there was a possibility of getting her back strictly by sleeping next to her, he would do it. He'd sleep day and night if he had to.

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It took her almost an hour to fall asleep. There was an awkwardness in the bed, neither of them willing to acknowledge it. Hermione felt the urge to lie on her side, face hidden away from him, but leaving her ass in the open to his view didn't appeal to her either. Eventually, and thankfully, Hermione did drift off, her dreams once again nothing more than a memory...

_He looked flustered._

_He looked flustered and it couldn't have been more endearing. The pale skin he normally took such great care of seemed haggard and worn, almost like he didn't sleep the night before. His ordinarily slick hair was messy and matted, sticking up in odd places from his constant need to slide his hands through the blond locks. Not to mention his attire. Honestly, did the man even dress himself today? Everything was positively wrinkled and looked unwashed, though he hardly seemed to notice. Hermione just chuckled, enjoying the sight of him in such a panic. _

"_You alright, love?" she asked patronizingly, though he didn't know it. Oblivious to virtually everything, Professor McGonagall could have walked in the room naked and he wouldn't have noticed. In other words, he didn't hear her question._

"_Draco?"_

"_Huh?!" he yelled, his head snapping up and his tongue stuck to the roof of his mouth. Hermione choked on a laugh, attempting to calm herself before she spoke._

"_I uh...(-chuckle-)...I asked if you were alright," she grounded out, putting her right forefinger in her mouth, biting down gently in the effort to stop laughing. _

_Draco shook his head, swimming with thoughts of what he wanted to do. Catching his mistake, he halted shaking and started nodding frantically. "Of course I'm fine. Why wouldn't I be? Do I look upset or something because I most definitely am not!"_

_Hermione had to literally turn away from him that time, the laughter too much for her to simply hold in. Throwing her face into her palms, she laughed openly as she heard him leave the room, muttering incoherent nonsense under his breath. Could the man be any more obvious? Well, when she thought about it, if anyone else other than her looked at him, they'd have been lost. They just didn't know him the way she did. She knew everything about him, knew him outside and in, so naturally she would catch on when he started acting like a terrified ape._

_His behavior didn't get any better during the course of the evening. It was their two year anniversary and Draco had taken her to The Broken Wand. Hermione caught on to the horrid subtlety, but remained mum, deciding it was best to just play dumb. He'd gone out of his way to make this special._

_However, the night ended up being just one big disaster. Aside from fumbling with his words throughout the course of dinner, he'd spilled his drink twice, once on her, knocked over a candle to start a small fire on the once (meaning before Draco arrived) ash-grey tablecloth, tripped over his own feet, and dipped his elbow in pumpkin sauce. He'd excused himself twice, no doubt giving himself a pep-talk in the wizard's room while Hermione ate her dinner earnestly, a smile tugging her lips the entire time._

"_Is everything alright with him, love?" asked Johnny, pouring Hermione another glass of champagne. "He seems awfully stressed and troll-like tonight."_

"_Doesn't he?" teased Hermione, twirling her fork around her plate._

"_Normally he is such a charming fellow, but he doesn't seem like himself," noted Johnny thoughtfully._

"_He's fine," laughed Hermione, shaking her head. "Trust me, the idiot is just...a bit of a coward at the moment."_

_Johnny shrugged, figuring Hermione would fill him in the following week when they met up for a little "girl talk" (Hermione was dying to know how his relationship with Colin Creevey was coming along), and left the table. Draco returned to the table, face flushed and frustration tearing at his every expression. _

"_Are you ill?" asked Hermione, sounding innocent. "You don't look very well. Maybe we should just head out early and I'll stay with you tonight. Tuck you into bed." _

_Her offer seemed to disconcert him for a moment before he submitted into her. "Why not? The evening is already ruined," he mumbled, acute disappointment in his voice._

"_Aw, why do you say that?" she asked, reaching out to grab his hand in her own. Rubbing his knuckle with her thumb, she said, "I'm having fun."_

"_I ruined your dress."_

"_Honey, I could buy the entire dress shop where I got this. It's no big deal and it's not ruined. It's called charm cleaning," she told him. Nonetheless, his unhappy expression remained and before she knew it, he had paid the bill and was apparating them back to his place._

_0000000_

"_Is there room for a giant oaf under there?"_

_Hermione, dressed in one of his old shirts (he always loved it when she wore his clothes. Another way to inform others that he owned this incredible woman) and wrapped in a large blue blanket, turned to meet Draco's eyes. He'd shredded himself of his wrinkled dress clothes and put on comfortable sweat pants and a shirt just like the one Hermione had on. She lifted up the soft material and he slid beneath it, wrapping strong arms around her petite body. Her head rested against his chest while he breathed in her scent._

_Perfect._

_Everything was right with the world if they could remain like this._

"_Draco," she said, nuzzling his chest, "I uh...I can't breathe, love. You're squeezing me a little tight."_

"_I'm sorry, baby girl," he whispered, realizing he had been pressing her body significantly close to his. "I just don't ever want to let me go."_

_Hermione laughed lightly, rubbing her bare foot against his muscular leg, giving him a reassuring squeeze. "It's not like I'm going anywhere, Draco. You should be so lucky to get rid of me."_

"_Don't even joke like that," he murmured in her hair. "You're everything to me and I'd be lost without you."_

"_Suddenly somber, aren't you?" Hermione's face lifted up to meet his, a very serious mien on his chiseled face._

_This was it. _

_He was finally going to go through with it. _It's about bloody time! The bloke should have done this months ago. _Hermione smiled at him, bringing her left hand up to rub against his right cheek. He practically swooned, leaning into her hand as though to get every bit of her touch. She could feel the trembles wracking his lean frame and the erratic vibrations of his breathing._

"_Hermione...you..." he stammered, finding it difficult to voice anything. He opened his mouth again, closed it, swallowed, and then opened it again. He said, "You are...and then...the coffee...I...I-I..."_

"_Draco, will you marry me?"_

_His incredulous reaction was positively priceless - his mouth dropped, eyes shot out wide, skin paled, tremors stopped, and breathing subsided, all the while his hands clenched and unclenched in the material of his shirt she wore. Hermione remained quiet, watching him come to terms with the question. _

"_W-what?" he finally managed to ground out._

"_Will you marry me?" she repeated, rubbing her thumb over his lips. _

_Draco still hadn't moved, too engrossed in trying to sift through the words she'd just muttered. Those four simple words caught him so off guard that he nearly fell off the couch, not expecting them in the least. _

"_I...uh, I mean...what you said was...but I...I w-wanted to...NO!" he yelled, letting her go and pushing the blanket off frantically, standing on his feet to stare down at her. "No, I will not marry you!"_

_Though his words sounded vicious and tone angry, his eyes belied his upset manner. In effect, she smiled at him as he paced the room, hands fisting in his baby-fine blond hair._

"_How dare you, Hermione?! You...you knew what I was trying to do all night, didn't you?!" he asked, pointing at her in accusation. The brunette merely shrugged, leaning back against the soft material of his couch. "You knew that I wanted to ask you that all night and you deliberately ruined everything!"_

_She chuckled to herself, shaking her head at the man. At this point he just rattled off jumbled gibberish, kicking the furniture every now and then to emphasis how mad he was. Hermione laughed and stared all the while._

"_I was...no, b-but...damn waiter...I didn't know that there was pumpkin sauce there...y-you...UGH!"_

_Hermione rolled her eyes, putting out her hand to examine it, earning her a glare from the man. Her new found interest in her nails chaffed him even though he knew in his heart she only did it to get a rise out of him. Instead of calling her on it, he continued to rant about the evening, though more lucidly._

"_All bloody night I wanted to ask, but then that damn pumpkin sauce ruined it and then you ordered your drink which I later spilt on you because I'm an idiot and a newfound klutz and I wasn't thinking at all and I just kept rambling on, you allowing me to make a fool of myself like the idiot that I am and...you..."_

_Then it struck him. He stopped pacing, turning his attention to the girl still smiling up at him, hand placed back down in her lap._

"_Does...well, does that mean you want to marry me?" he asked calmly, almost the way a sleepy toddler would talk to his mother._

_Hermione, still laughing, said, "I just might, Draco. This might be a big clue that I do."_

_Draco stood there stunned, eyes scanning the room, looking anywhere other than her lovely face. He appeared to be thinking the situation over carefully and Hermione left him to it, idly twisting at a few stray pieces of her hair. He stood there for a long time._

"_So," he finally breathed out, "I uh...I've come to a decision."_

"_Have you?" she asked raptly._

_He nodded mutely before he said, "I'm going to ask you something and when I do...you better act surprised, alright?"_

"_I'll do my best," she teased._

_Draco gulped and nodded, his feet carrying him to her on their own accord. His mind didn't work fast enough because before he knew it, he was down on one knee, her hands in his own._

_Luckily for him, the seriousness took over which led him back to his customarily cool demeanor; "Hermione, I don't want to think about what my life would be like without you. I can't. I get sick at the thought of even imagining a day of my life without you in it."_

_She had the grace to nod, allowing him to speak even though she already knew he felt what he was saying. Brushing her hand against his stubbly cheek, she smiled._

"_My whole life begins and ends with you. I want it to stay that way," he told her, pulling out a small, velvet box from his pocket, hand shaking worse than Neville Longbottom on a broom. Hermione, true to her agreement, gave a sigh of surprise, going so far as to cover a gaping mouth. Draco probably would have rolled his eyes had he not been so caught up in the moment._

"_Hermione, will you marry me?"_

_The witch before him, staring at him adoringly, had the nerve to momentarily mess with him. Of all the bloody times, she chose now to be a...a...such a witch!_

"_Well, I don't know Draco," she teased, letting her eyes wander around the room. His mouth dropped instantaneously, skin turner paler by the moment. "I mean, honestly, what do you have to offer? It's not as though you're intelligent. Merlin only knows, you've got to be one of the most unattractive men to grace the covers of Witch's Weekly. Don't even get me started on—"_

_Draco's lips crashed against hers, silencing her the way he wanted to. After a few moments of frantic kissing, tongues mingling, he pulled away, pushing back some of her hair behind her ear and looking more in love than she'd ever seen._

"_Yes, Draco," she whispered, so close that their noses were brushing. "Yes, I'll marry you. I can't wait to marry you, love."_

"_Good. I was hoping you'd say that."_

_After sharing another soft kiss, he took the small ring out of the box, smiling at it. Hermione bit her lip as he slid the ring on her finger, his large hand encircling her own. She was going to marry this wonderful man._

_Life was good..._

Hermione's eyes darted open, scanning the ceiling above her. For a moment, her body shook with tremors, temporarily forgetting where the hell she was. However, the heavy hand draped across her stomach couldn't have been any more clearer of indication. Turning to her right, she saw Draco Malfoy fast asleep on his stomach, right arm draped possessively over her. To say her throat felt bristly and grainy would have been an understatement. Something about having this man so close to her, breathing evenly in his sleep, unnerved her.

Hermione decided to alleviate herself from this discomfort and attempted to move his hand, gently lifting it off of her abdomen. Draco reacted to her on some level and laced their fingers together, sighing heavily in his sleep. Hermione's face shot toward him, a gleam of suspicion in her expression, questioning whether or not the man truly was sleeping. Once she concluded he was dead to the world in kip, she felt unsure of how to respond. Before she could do anything, even to let out a breath, Draco spoke as he snuggled closer to her.

"Hmm...I love you, baby girl."

_Baby girl? After this bloody memory he chooses now to start calling me baby girl?! I uh...Merlin, what the hell am I doing? No - what the hell am I going to do?!_

Now she really wanted to pull away, figuring it might be better to just sleep downstairs and get a little breathing room away from him. She probably would have too had something not caught her eye - her wedding ring. There it was sitting placidly on her left ring finger, glistening from the moonlight streaming through their balcony window. Absolutely stunning, the ring was. Hermione looked back at Malfoy who seemed more at ease than ever, like his haggard face healed during the course of only a few hours during the night. Did her sleeping next to him affect him that much? Did he truly love her like he claimed? After the memory of their lovely engagement, Hermione held no doubts what so ever.

Draco Malfoy had been madly in love with his wife.

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_A/N: So what did you guys think? I'd love to hear from everyone reading - it would mean a lot. Anyway, note that while most of this story has contained perfection, don't be fooled by it. There were a lot of subtle hints to the contrary in the last couple of chapters (regarding the memories) so trust me, there will be more to this story than just blissful romance. Sorry to burst anyone's bubble who wanted that, but come on - we definitely need some action here. I actually didn't want to post this chapter until I finished chapter 10 - which is about half way done - but I couldn't resist. I need something to keep me going during finals week so please be dears._

_As I said before, I'm in the middle of college finals so you will all have to give me a break. I have NO idea when I'll update next - DEFINITELY NOT until after next Thursday. I won't even look at my stories until next Thursday passes so you've got to bear with me. Then I'll try to update more frequently before I have surgery (minor - wisdom teeth - no worries). Trust me, with summer I should be better about the updates and even have some more stories for you guys. I'm even thinking of writing one that is - GASP - not a Dramione!_ _If you guys have any ideas about what couple I should write, let me know!_ _I'm not sure when I'll start posting the other stories, but it should be fun once I get the opportunity to :)_

_READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it._

_A Dream Worth Keeping is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	10. A Loss of Sweet Dreams

_A/N: Hey all! So finals are FINALLY over, thank goodness! I was going crazy, but I did well and I'm happily enjoying my summer. I'll try to be more on the ball about updating (well except when I'm having surgery next week) so look forward to a few new stories and such. _

_Special thanks to: AnasellaEmm, ebbe04, EmilyLovesYOU, moonkazoo, CrystalizedHeart, MsRisa, Bellaria, wifeylady21, Jolie Ralph Lauren, dynonugget, SingfortheMoment, ginsensu, marauderbabe289, marauders rox, InLove09, Rashel Quinn, GypsyCarmen, TN-Chic101, Krissa, ChocolateVeela, GerGer-says, Remus's Girl, ANF, Janelle, pAuLinAa, tigger2025643119, SquishyGirl, Ledophole, izzy, shrtcke128, cnw, and especially ginnyginny (I've never looked at Sirius like that - interesting observation) and Galiena Faehler (thank you for catching my error...lol)._

_Special congrats to tigger2025643119 for being the first one to get the riddle correct on my profile page. I'll post the answer in a few days so I hope the rest of you make a guess over it!_

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**A Loss of Sweet Dreams - Chapter 10**

"Did you sleep well?" asked Draco, pouring Hermione and himself an early morning cup of tea.

Hermione, still coming to terms with the newest memory and waking up in his arms, his bloody huge arms, nodded mutely and stared at the cup. Draco knew something was bothering her, no doubt the arrangement of being in the house with him (she'd gotten out of the bed before he woke up leaving him unaware of his uh...creeping hands in the middle of the night), but remained silent. _If she wants to tell me then she can. I'll wait for her to come to me._

"I um...I promised the kids I would take them out flying today. I thought maybe we could pack a picnic and just spend time with them. You could get to know them better."

Hermione smiled meekly and nodded, looking like she truly believed it to be a good idea. "I'd like that only...well, you mean flying as in...as in your b-broom."

"What other form of flying is there?" he asked rather amused.

Hermione gulped, returning her gaze to her tea cup. She never liked flying much and the thought of doing so in the company of two young children did not appeal to her. Draco, of course, knew this for her fear of flying did not diminish upon her maturing years. She rarely flew and if she did, he had to be with her; she'd fly with nobody but him. Deciding it best to keep that bit of personal information to himself, he too sipped his tea.

"Mama!"

Bailey raced into the kitchen as if Firebolts had been attached to his two feet. Hermione smiled, opened her arms in a welcoming gesture, and caught him as he hurled himself into her grasp. Her fingers brushed through his soft hair, soft like Malfoy's, and kissed him on the forehead tenderly. Something about the feel of the little boy in her arms, his smell, his touch...it felt incredibly familiar. She recognized the grip she had on the boy.

That scared her.

"Mummy, where is brekbest?" asked the boy, his chubby hands holding her cheeks affectionately. Draco looked away, closing his eyes for a brief moment to regain composure. The way his son held his wife's face...merlin, it was the kind of thing she use to do to Bailey, to Roxy, and to Draco himself. Bloody hell, it was enough to make his heart sick.

Finally, swallowing thickly, Draco murmured, "I'll make that for you right now, B. Just sit with your mum and uh...tell her about your favorite spot."

The boy immediately broke out in a wide grin, not noticing something amiss about his parents in the early hours of the morning. If it had been his sister in the room, though only a mere child, she would definitely have spotted something, being more observant, much like Draco on that count. So, Bailey rambled off to Hermione about his favorite location in the backyard. To her utter astonishment, he plainly described the creek from her dreams—the one Draco took her to when he'd first confessed his love for her.

_That means...I'm in the house. His house. No...that was an entirely different house. This is a home and that was just a flat, nothing really intricate or anything. Did he change everything...for me?_

"Hermione, are you alright?"

"What?" she asked, jerking her head up to look at him. Draco's face mirrored concern, the kind she remembered seeing in him before she left him to stay at Ginny's house.

_Merlin, you're out of it. Stop acting like a child Hermione Granger and start acting like an adult. Start acting like...start acting like the bloody Hermione Malfoy he knows. That they ALL know, and love. They love me so start loving them back!_

She nodded mutely and turned toward Bailey who seemed to be having a difficult time with his napkin. Adjusting it in his shirt, so none of the breakfast Draco prepared dripped on the front of his wrinkled pajamas, she allowed herself to look the child over even more so. What a beautiful creature. She'd looked the girl over numerous times, finding so much of Malfoy in her it felt scary. Even though she retained a few of Hermione's features (her button nose, freckles, and hair color), she was all Malfoy. The boy, on the other hand, looked every bit a part of her. His dirty blond hair and sharp chin (stunning considering his age) expressed his father's appearance, but the rest of him...Hermione. Like his sister, he had her button nose, light freckles below his eyes, and oh those eyes...sure, the Malfoy ice blue were mysterious and alluring, but his eyes were—affable. One almost could tell he was a friendly kid just by meeting his lovely eyes. Staring at him, taking him all in, gave her an overwhelming sense of emotion she'd never known before. She loved this little boy. She didn't know why, couldn't understand why, but she did.

She loved him.

And he loved her.

"Mummy, eat your brekbest, yon lady!"

Hermione's face lit up in a grin and for some odd reason, clearly she didn't understand it herself, she looked up to share the smile with Malfoy. For the first time in a long time...he smiled too.

0000000

"So," began Hermione, lifting a piece of Malfoy's wondrous pumpkin bread to her lips, "tell me about the kids. Tell me what they're like."

Draco, lounging back on his elbows and scanning their property with a serenity, happy just to be in the presence of his wife again, grinned placidly. When they ventured outside, he thought Hermione was going to faint for some reason unbeknownst to him. She'd stared at the property, the water lily brook in particular, for a long while, closing her eyes and reopening them every few seconds. It worried him, as did everything she did lately, but he said nothing. Again, he wanted her to come to him.

After she finally seemed to come into her own, he'd transfigured a blanket for them and they sat down with their picnic while the kids chased each other in the meadow.

Returning to his kids, he murmured, "What is there to say about the brats?"

She smiled but said nothing, urging him to continue on with her stare. He recognized the look and damn it, did he miss it. He continued, "Well, B may be the baby, but he acts like he's thirty. He picks up on virtually anything we say and loves to repeat it. You um...you had a fit a few months ago when he repeated a phrase I used when I slammed my foot on the front step of the stairs. Took us a week to get him to stop using it and I hope he holds off on it until...well, Hogwarts."

Hermione chuckled, looking toward the little boys rolling on the ground, pieces of green grass sticking out all over his mop of hair.

"B acts a lot like you," noted Draco, smiling at the thought. "Aside from that little lisp, he sounds like you much of the time. Keeps the household running properly and reprimands us if we do something that, as he claims, is beally bad!" Hermione covered her mouth, laughing lightly. He continued, "Already has a love for books which I know is all your doing. You read everything you could get your hands on when you were pregnant with him."

"That I'm sure is true," she quipped, watching the children with intent. "And what of Roxy? What's that girl like?"

Funnily enough, when Hermione asked the question, she raised her hand to her face causing her wedding ring to catch the light of the sun. Draco couldn't help, but think of his daughter when he thought of that ring...

_The ring he picked out...bloody hell, gorgeous doesn't even define the loveliness. He searched all over Europe to locate the perfect band for her. France didn't turn up anything he liked nor did Germany, Italy, or Greece. Frustrated and worried he would never find the ideal ring for his fiancée, he ventured to America only to yet again come up short. Everywhere it was diamonds, diamonds, and more bloody diamonds! He liked the idea of them, wanted them even to be a part of the setting if possible, but a diamond couldn't be the whole thing. He needed something that defined his love and all her qualities into one stone. Draco finally got somewhere when he met a man in Scotland, one who knew just the type of man Draco to be..._

"_I suppose the ring you're looking for is for a young lady?" asked the older man, a white jacket wrapped around his stocky frame. With a balding head and wrinkled skin, he still managed to maintain a level of aristocracy and poise._

_Draco answered, "Yes, it's for my girlfriend. Um...I'm trying to find the perfect wedding ring for her."_

"_Ah, but don't most couples search for that sort of thing together?" he asked, eyebrows raised and smile on his face._

_Draco nodded and replied, "This girl is...she's really special. I want to surprise her with this on our wedding day. I want her to gasp at the alter."_

_The man clasped his hands together, a look of sheer exhilaration on his pallid face. Without muttering a word, he waved for Draco to follow him into the back room of the quaint shop, walking passed the various glass cases of abnormally large jewelry pieces._

_Beyond a large, thick black curtain, Draco found himself in a room of the finest minerals he'd ever laid eyes on. Jewels ranging from diamonds to sapphires to emeralds to rubies all lined the room, sparkling in all their glory. Draco had the distinct impression some of these were magically altered though he kept his mouth shut, relatively sure this was a muggle shop. Running his fingers through his blond hair, he stood in front of the counter, the man searching through a dark box Draco couldn't see. _

"_Young man, have you ever heard of the legend of tourmaline?" Draco shook his head, interested in what the man had to say. He continued, "It's an old Egyptian legend on why tourmaline is one of the most beautiful gems in the world. You see, legend goes that when tourmaline journeyed up from the center of the Earth, it had to pass over the most magnificent of rainbows, so stunning to the eye that it could blind. As a result, the gem assumed all the colors of this glorious rainbow, extracting every shade to take in as its own. Today, we call tourmaline the "gemstone of the rainbow" and the most glorious of all jewels."_

"_So are you saying that this stone comes in all colors and—"_

"_I'm saying this stone not only comes in all colors, but superbly wears the color. From yellow to green to blue to red to black...they're all beautiful and ideal, Mr. Malfoy, for someone such as yourself to give to a lovely lady."_

_At this, Draco stepped back and eyed him suspiciously. The man chuckled, resuming his activity in searching through the black box. "Fear not Mr. Malfoy," he told him easily, "I assure you, me knowing your name is nothing bad."_

"_How do you know my name?" he asked questioningly._

"_I use to work at Hogsmeade. I'll assume you know the place," he muttered, looking up with a cheeky grin._

"_I know it well," Draco mumbled, still unsure about this._

"_Good. I only say this because I'm sure you would like to have magical qualities bestowed on this ring, would you not?"_

_Draco sighed and said, "I'll assume these magical qualities will be hefty in sum."_

"_Perhaps."_

_Draco smirked and declared, "I think I'm going to like you, sir."_

"_Good. Now comes the time when you choose the color. I say this with apprehension only because each stone is different, one of the greater qualities of tourmaline. Would you like to hear about them?"_

"_Please," replied Draco, leaning on the counter to look at the jewels in the box. _

"_Alright. Well, the rubellite here," he said, holding up a gorgeous, intense red jewel, brighter than any ruby Draco had ever seen before, "is one of the most well loved pieces solely because it retains this magnificent color, this vibrant red, in both the light and in the dark. It signifies passion and romance, lovely for the charm of your woman. With magical qualities I could even make it sparkle at all times."_

_Draco nodded his approval, telling him to continue on. The man placed the red stone back in the box before he smiled and pulled out a green one, glistening with the appearance of an even grander emerald. The old man said, "This is a chrome tourmaline, also known as the verdelite. The reason chrome is in the name comes from it being green. You see, the color comes from traces of chrome which makes it illuminate and sparkle. It signifies classic elegance, only worn by the finest of customers. A lovely choice coming from a Slytherin."_

"_Well, while I am a Slytherin...the girl is a Gryffindor. Perhaps something else."_

"_Certainly," the man replied softly, patience seemingly dripping from his aura. He looked through the box, sighing every now and then, before he pulled out a yellow one, the color of the sun. "Here is a canary tourmaline, one of the most rare. The vivid yellow color is scarce in our world. Let's just say that this particular type of tourmaline is not yet on the market for common folk and shouldn't be for a few years. However, I know some of the finest wizards today have already purchased some for their ladies."_

_Draco thought it over, looking from the red to the green to the yellow, just pondering what his Hermione would want. The man sensed something more about him and finally said, "Perchance, you wouldn't be interested in my opinion, would you?"_

"_Absolutely," muttered Draco, his eyes still focused on the jewels._

"_Then tell me about the girl. What is she like? What is it about her that drew you to her in the first place," he asked, placing his chin in the palm of his hand._

"_This girl...she's perfect. She's the girl everyone wants and so I want a ring that tells everyone how beautiful she is. The ring should be the second most beautiful thing on this Earth...after her." Draco looked down, a slight tinge of a blush creeping on his features._

_The older man chuckled lightly and said, "You've just told me everything I needed to know. I have the perfect one for you."_

_He placed the box back behind the counter and pulled out another black box looking exactly the same, only a lock held the difference. Peering toward the door and checking for any signs of another customer, he pulled out his wand to mutter a quick spell, unlocking the seal with the flick of his wrist. He opened it and gently pulled out a black piece of silk, unfolding it and unveiling the most beautiful jewel Draco had ever seen._

"_Merlin," he breathed, his eyes wider than Mrs. Norris' paws. "What stone is that?"_

"_Paraiba tourmaline, the most precious of all tourmaline pieces if not of gemstones altogether."_

_The jewel before him out-shined every other piece Draco had seen. The stone held the most fascinating color; a mixture of blue and green. Putting it into words, one would imagine the deepest part of the ocean, dark and tinged with a sable hue, a color most would never lay their eyes on. Then, one would imagine the innermost depths of a tropical rainforest where the trees sway in the warm wind, moisture stemming off of each leaf. Mixing the two colors together, one would have this precious stone. Even more, the gem sparkled with every turn, almost as if a star was trapped inside, beating out glorious rays of fiery light._

"_Remarkable," whispered Draco, nodding his head in approval._

"_The color, I think, is extraordinary. It's actually so uncommon that no other jewel in the entire world features this color. It's amazing, really," noted the jeweler wistfully, sounding as though it pained him to offer Draco the opportunity to purchase such an extravagant piece._

"_I'll take it," said Draco quickly, knowing without a doubt Hermione would love it._

"_I haven't even told you the price and—"_

"_I'll take it," he repeated, firmer and more direct than before. The man nodded and gave the jewel an appraising look once more. Before he turned away to prepare the ring, Draco asked, "What do you call the stone?"_

"_Pardon?"_

"_Well," said Draco thoughtfully, "I thought every jeweler named his pieces. Makes them more personal, no?"_

_The old man smirked, wrinkles creasing in his forehead. He nodded and said, "Roxanne. I named her Roxanne."_

_Somehow, Draco knew he'd forever call Hermione's ring by that name..._

"Draco?"

He snapped back, realizing he once again became consumed by his thoughts. Remembering the topic at hand, Draco further surprised her when he burst out in laughter. Real laughter. The kind that manages to meet the eyes and fan out all over the face. "Well," he began, laughter still on the breath, "I think we're going to have to be careful with that one. She is much more like me than I would have hoped for."

Hermione lifted her eyebrows. Having grown up with the arrogant prat who spent a majority of his time making her life hell, she would have expected him to want the kids to be like him in every way.

"I swear, that girl is going to get into so much trouble at Hogwarts. She already gets in enough trouble around the home," he muttered, shaking his head at the thought. "She'll cause an early retirement for at least one professor, the girl has far too much energy. A little ball of fire, you call her."

Hermione looked to the girl wearing a yellow dress, a messy flower chain in her hair. Smiling and waving at them, she turned back around and started running toward the water, her brother not far behind. Hermione felt a queasy uneasiness spread over her, one she couldn't explain, at the sight of them venturing so close to the water. Draco seemed to sense this discomfort and muttered, "Don't worry. There is a charm cast around the brook so they won't be able to fall in."

She released a breath she wasn't aware she'd sucked in let alone held. _Damn...being a mother is bloody exhausting!_

"Tell me what you're thinking," he whispered, his hand twitching as though he desperately wanted to hold hers.

Hermione sighed, still looking at the children, "Is it always like this? I mean...being with them and constantly worrying over them and just...us? We _liked _always being together?"

Overtly she watched him, her eyes running up and down his lean frame while he thought about his answer. She saw him flinch at it, almost like he felt offended she would dare ask such a thing. However, he made no attempt to state anything about it. After a few more moments, he admitted, "You and I both love everything about our lives. Times aren't always fun and easy, like the present—" he spoke in a bitter tone yet still managed to maintain composure—"but we always pull through. Our kids are the world to us and...you're the world to me. I'm pretty sure the feeling was more than mutual."

"Always?" she asked.

He smirked and declared, "more than you'd know."

Hermione never got a chance to respond, to ask him what he meant by that exactly (his tone had all but said there was more to that than he let on; something more subtle). He rose from his sitting position and ran after his kids, engaging into a full on battle of tickles.

0000000

"Mummy?"

Hermione looked up from her book to see Roxy standing before her, a small blanket in her hand and a stuffed teddy bear in the other. A hopeful expression sat on her face and Hermione smiled, putting the book back down on the coffee table, waiting for her daughter to speak.

"Can I sit with you?" she asked softly, her voice sounding choked with tears. Hermione rubbed some of the hair away from her forehead, trying to soothe the girl.

"Is something wrong, baby?" asked Hermione, unsure of where the term of endearment came from.

The little girl nodded and leaned into her mother's embrace, hugging her tightly and sobbing softly.

"What's wrong?"

"I had a bad dream!" she exclaimed, breaking down completely, fat tears slipping from her pretty eyes. Hermione pulled her into her lap, rocking her gently and shushing her all the while. Another deja vu feeling swept over, something of familiarity slapping her upside the head, the feel of the little girl in her arms. She kissed her brunette curls, holding her fiercely to her chest, and whispering soothing words.

"It's alright, love. I'm right here," she told her, hoping the words would ease the crying girl. Hermione realized she must have been doing something right for the tears slowed and the sobs haltered, allowing her to talk more at ease with the girl. "Do you want to tell me about the dream?"

The girl hesitated and finally muttered, "I dreamed we were at St. Mungo's again. I kept asking one of the girls wearing a white dress to help me, to help me find my mum and dad. Nobody would tell me where you were!"

"Aw, it's alright, love. Dreams aren't real and you know that. Your mum and dad are right here," she breathed, kissing her temple affectionately. Roxy nodded, snuggling closer to Hermione and wrapping her small hands around her body. "I'm not going anywhere," she told her, her arms convulsively tightening.

Draco walked out about ten minutes later, smiling when he saw his two girls sleeping comfortably on the couch. He didn't like the idea of one of them waking up in the middle of the night, scared in the dark, so he went down the hall to retrieve two blankets, one blue and one pink. He wrapped his girls in the pink blanket, kissing both of their foreheads once covered. He stared at Hermione and his daughter, curled together like a mother and child should be, before he settled into the large chair, pulling the blue blanket over himself.

0000000

_Draco's white shirt clung to his body, perspirationforcing everything to cling. His sporadic breathing hindered his ability to calm himself down, too wrapped up in simply trying to inhale oxygen. His whole life, his whole bloody world, would be arriving soon, no doubt carrying on about their small wedding which was set to take place in a few short weeks._

_She'd figured everything out so it would suit both her as well as him. Considering their names and fame, they wanted to keep it out of the media as best they could, hating the idea of their marriage being put under the spotlight. Draco's connections with some top dollar writers in the wizarding world told him they'd make sure to keep his affairs out of the press, especially anything related to Hermione. His name was still frowned upon by certain people and he didn't want anything from his infamous past to hurt Hermione's wonderful reputation._

_They decided on something small, nothing too fancy, and truly them, a wedding which would symbolize what they meant to one another. Draco told her from the start the wedding would be about her, everything she wanted would happen, but she insisted the wedding be mutual, something he could enjoy as well. Just one of the many reasons he loved her; selfless to the core._

_Everything was nearly prepared given they had the list of people to invite, he had the ring, she already had a dress for the one bridesmaid who'd be in attendance, and so forth. All they really had left to do was get married. _

_Yet, they weren't going to. Not after today and Draco felt his heart twisting inside of his chest, agonies spilling out of every part of his body. _

_Cause he was breaking it off. _

_He was ending their love._

_Wiping his brow and running his hands yet again through his pale hair, he closed his eyes and thought about the situation. _

"_I am doing the right thing," he whispered to himself. Now, if he only started to believe his words himself, maybe he'd get through the heartache that he knew would engulf him as soon as she left him in the wake of his pain._

"_Draco?"_

Oh Merlin...she's here. Please Hermione, forgive me for what I'm about to do...

"_Oh there you are," she said cheerfully, a bag in her hand. "I finally got my dress. It took me forever to find it not to mention it cost a pretty galleon, but I'm happy to say it's stunning. I only hope I look as good as the dress."_

"_You uh...no dress could surpass you," he told her, refusing to meet her eyes._

"_You want to see it? It's gorgeous, really."_

_She sounded so happy, so peaceful, so bloody excited...Draco couldn't even contain how much he hated himself over this. He felt like ramming himself into a wall and pounding on it several times until he fell to the ground in the pulp of a bloody mess. _

_In a hoarse voice, he asked, "Isn't it bad luck for the groom to see the bride's dress before the wedding?"_

"_Rubbish!" she bellowed, placing her bag on his coffee table and sitting down on the arm of his black chair. "That is a load of bollocks and you know it. I don't believe in that sort of thing. Just silly superstitions designed to keep grooms away from their brides in hopes of them not shagging before the date."_

_She laughed to herself, laughed the beautiful laugh he loved so much. Sweat kept building up on his body as the pain of losing her crept into him more and more and more—_

"_I was thinking that we could go some place really reserved for the honeymoon. You know, somewhere with waterfalls and—"_

"_Hermione—"_

"—_and beautiful landscaping and somewhere just lovely. Ireland perhaps—"_

"_Hermione, please—"_

"—_just you and me, drinking each other in and—"_

"_I can't marry you."_

_His words cut through the room like a knife, halting every sound in existence. Hermione turned up from peering at her dress to meet his eyes, a nervous smile on her lips._

"_Yeah, Draco, I can't marry you either," she laughed, thinking momentarily he was joking on the matter. He shook his head at her, alerting her immediately, given her vast intellect, he very much meant what he just uttered. He knew this would happen. He knew there would be no need to convince her he meant his words. Hermione was smart enough to catch on to his serious voice, note his appearance, and see in his eyes that he meant it. However, that didn't mean she would take the information well._

"_What?" she asked, sounding like a wounded child._

"_I can't marry you. I'm sorry." _

I'm sorry?! What the hell is wrong with me? I'm breaking off our bloody engagement and I have the NERVE to say I'm bloody sorry?! Damn me, I don't even deserve her...

_Hermione, for her part, maintained a level of composure at this point. She stared forward, away from him, taking in all the information. Not that there was much to take in, but his words drastically changed her life. She asked, desperation in her voice, "Why? I uh...I don't understand. What have I done or said—"_

"_It's not you. It's nothing you've done or uh..." he broke off, losing battle with the madness that wanted to engulf him._

"_Then what?! Why now do you not want to marry me? Why?" Tears already were falling down her lovely face, staining her cheeks. As her breathing hitched, she wrapped an arm around her belly, a futile attempt at self-protection. "Give me a reason. Give me a bloody reason why you're doing this!"_

"_I just...I can't marry you, Hermione. It's complicated and I just...I can't marry you. End of story."_

_He rose from his seat, planning on leaving the room, but she jumped in front of him and halted his exit. Draco bit down on his tongue, hating himself for being the cause for her tears. She lifted up her hands, framing his face and placed her forehead up to his (this required effort seeing as she had to literally pull him down and stand on the tips of her toes)._

"_I need a reason. Give me a reason," she begged, her voice tight with emotion._

"_I can't. I just can't marry you. I'm sorry."_

_Hermione stepped back, meeting his eyes, those eyes she loved so bloody much for Merlin's sake! In that moment, Draco would have rather been Crucio'd by every person fighting against them, keeping them apart. Yes, there was a reason for why Draco broke it off only...he couldn't tell her. He couldn't admit the truth._

_For the truth revolved around her._

"_Hermione," he said, swallowing thickly, "you must know that I love you and—"_

_WHAP!_

_Draco kept his face where it was, feeling the sting of her slap, welcoming the pain it brought. He knew he deserved it. He knew._

"_Don't ever—EVER—speak to me about love again. Don't speak of love," she said, her voice angry, eyes filled with tears. "You don't have a right to do that."_

"_I'm sorry," he breathed, hating himself._

"_You...damn it, you were the one that told me to live!" she screamed, backing away from him and fisting pieces of her hair he loved so well in her small hands. "You told me to live again and I finally do! I start to live...to live for YOU and this is what I get? I fall in love and then have it ripped away from me!"_

_Draco didn't respond knowing full well that nothing he could say would ever appease her. Nothing he could say would ever make this situation alright. Tears were starting to sting his own eyes, but he wouldn't let them fall. He couldn't do that._

"_Don't ever speak to me of love. Just..." she broke off, unable to finish. Draco wasn't sure if she couldn't formulate the words or she just didn't want to. It didn't matter for in that next instant, she grabbed her bag and went to the door. Before she turned the knob, he saw the most horrid sight - she walked back to him, twisted off her engagement ring, and tossed it on her dress which laid strewn on the coffee table._

"_Hermione—"_

"_Keep the dress. I have no use for it."_

_Then she left._

_And he broke down, crashing to his knees and sobbing like a broken child. He lost the only person who truly mattered to him because of a damn letter._

_A bloody letter did this to them!_

Hermione's eyes shot up, heart pounding in her chest and tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. She would have thrown her body up completely but a warm, sleep-heavy weight pressed against her; Roxy was still fast asleep in her arms.

She closed her eyes, gulping and trying to compose herself. When she opened her eyes she found Malfoy fast asleep in the chair across from her, a blue blanket in his lap.

"He broke it off," she whispered flabbergasted; "he broke off the bloody wedding."

Hermione shook her head, confused entirely. _Why the hell didn't I fight? I just accepted what he said and just...walked off? What the hell was wrong with me?! _

Hermione realized it was the end of her sweet dreams.

* * *

_A/N: The inspiration for these last two chapters definitely comes from a mixture of both Pirates of the Caribbean (At Worlds End in particular; regarding Will and Elizabeth) and, oddly enough, the movie Speed featuring Keanu Reeves and Sandra Bullock. All this should make sense in the next few chapters - the fun stuff is coming:)_

_As for the whole tourmaline information, all that was true. The thing regarding rainbows is actually a true Egyptian legend I heard a long time ago. Pretty cool, eh?_

_Oh and I keep forgetting to mention this, but the title of the story is based on a song by Sheena Easton. If you can find it and listen to it then you'll have a great synopsis of the story to come._

_A Dream Worth Keeping is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	11. A Loss of Sweet Dreams, Part 2

_A/N: It came to my attention that I made a BIG error last chapter. I realized after the fact, as pointed out by ChocolateVeela (thanks for pointing that out girl!), that I made the memory from the point of view of Draco even though Hermione was dreaming it...You see, it was done that way because I subconsciously thought Draco's POV would be better for the story. I thought about rewriting it, but then realized it wouldn't come out as well from her point of view. Again, sorry about that!_

_Special thanks to: Rashel Quinn, bang on the head, ginnyginny, MsRisa, dynonugget, ginsensu, SquishyGirl, izzy, moonkazoo, InLove09, Marjorie, tigger2025643119, CrystalizedHeart, mischievous female, StormMasters, icantlivewithoutharrypotter, Remus's Girl, PinkWhiteDiamond, Bellaria, xVibrating Spazoid, mary-pi, Nashelle, twin-v, ebbe04, __adrianna100, and especially AnasellaEmm (I burst out laughing when I read yours!), Galiena Faehler (Bleh, I hate when I make stupid mistakes like that! Lol), BulletGirl2647 (I hope you continue to review), and ChocolateVeela (read above note)._

_Special congrats to Bellaria for being the first one to get the riddle on my profile right and kudos to CrystalizedHeart for figuring out my method (Lol, well sort of). Can anyone else figure it out?_

* * *

**A Loss of Sweet Dreams, Part 2 - Chapter 11**

"Mama?"

Hermione stared down at her wide-eyed daughter, witness to a face filled with both sadness and fear, qualities she didn't understand for the moment. _Wait,_ she thought groggily, _she had a bad dream just a little while ago. She uh...she's probably still upset over that, right?_

"Mummy?"

"Yes, baby?" she finally asked, brushing back some of her soft hair.

The girl's expression mirrored Malfoy's from earlier, eerily so. Hermione seemed to find more and more qualities of the man in each child as the days progressed. Well, at least there was no doubt he was the father of her children. She didn't know if she should be put at ease by that or put off.

"Mummy, you don't look so well," noted Roxy, putting her hand on Hermione's forehead in a motherly manner. Hermione couldn't resist the urge to give her a small smile, removing her small hand from her face. Turning her hand over, she kissed the inside of the girl's tiny palm, rubbing her back in soothing circles.

"I'm fine, sweetheart. I promise," she assured the worried child, pulling her close to hug her. After a moment, she let her go and told her, "Why don't I take you up to bed, hmm? Do you think you can fall asleep in your own bed?"

It felt silly to Hermione to utter those words. She remembered her mother saying them to her as a child, such a patronizing tone behind it all (well, in Hermione's opinion it seemed patronizing), and hating it for it meant she had to go back to her bed - there was no arguing.

The girl frowned and thought about the question, obviously considering her options. Hermione could tell that the idea of sleeping without her mother didn't appeal to her yet she managed to nod after a few more seconds of deliberation.

"You're going to be a Gryffindor someday," she muttered, smiling both outwardly and inwardly.

"She'll be a Slytherin."

The gruff voice caught their attention, making mother and daughter jerk their heads in his direction.

"I can sense it. She'll be a Slytherin all the way just like her daddy," he told them, a defiant lift in his chin. The little girl managed a smile while Hermione did not, looking at him in a way she hadn't since the moment she arrived.

She was angry.

Very angry and VERY confused.

"Come on, Rox. Give your mum a kiss goodnight and I'll tuck you into bed," he told her firmly, little room for argument in his tone. Hermione smiled as her daughter wrapped her tiny arms around her neck, pressed a kiss to her cheek, and then allowed her father to swoop her up in his arms. Immediately she buried her face in his neck, hiding from the darkness of the room, and the two were gone, leaving Hermione to her thoughts.

"He broke off the wedding," she mumbled, once she knew they were out of earshot. "Why would he just break off the wedding? I don't...get it..."

Dropping her face into her hands, she sighed, a headache already formulating behind her temples. _Why would he break it off?! The bloody idiot comes off as though he loves me and yet...yet he broke it off? HE broke it off?!_

The sounds of his footsteps didn't alter her position so he found her to be in rather a compromising posture, kneeling her face in her palms in such a distressful state. Draco ran over to her at once, dropping to his knees and, after a moment's hesitation, put his hands on her arms to disengage her face from her hands.

"What's wrong?" he asked, worry gnawing in his voice.

"You broke off the wedding..." she sighed, unable to continue; unsure if she really should.

Draco removed his hands, leaning back and appearing positively flabbergasted. Hermione fleetingly realized she didn't exactly tell him about her dreams, but her focus still remained on the memory at hand. Draco, for his part, showed only surprise for a moment before straightening up, guarding his voice when he spoke, a tactic (unbeknownst to her) of hiding the hope she just raised in him.

"I don't understand," he admitted, rising to his feet in order to sit himself next to her, keeping his eyes locked on hers. "What do you mean I broke off the wedding?"

"I uh...it's..."

"Tell me."

Hermione rose to her feet and took up pacing in the middle of the room, flailing her hands and arms wildly while she spoke. "I haven't been completely honest with you," she told him, nearly drilling a hole in the floor with her heavy walking. "I'm sorry about that, but I just...look it's hard for me to explain."

"Try," he told her.

Sighing, she said, "I haven't just been having dreams when I've been sleeping. I haven't been plagued by nightmares or anything like that. I've been...I've been seeing things."

"What kinds of things," he asked anxiously.

"Memories," she stated clearly, finding no other way to describe what she had been dreaming. She was certain they were memories. _How could they not be? I mean...everything I've seen has made sense. The brook out back and the bracelet he gave me and...well, everything he claims to have happened between us, no? Maybe I'm jumping to conclusions and—_

"Memories? You've been...are you saying your memory is coming back?" he asked, almost buoyantly.

Hermione shook her head, destroying all of his hopes in an instant. If she hadn't been so focused on her thoughts, she would have felt bad or even approached the question differently, but no use crying over spilt milk now; not when bigger worries were in the open.

"No, it's not that. It's just weird. Like I'm having memories, but...I'm still the same. I'm not retaining any of those feelings or...I don't know," she stammered, finding the entire situation far too confusing for her liking. Expressions in her face demonstrated just how pissed she was getting at herself over this, frustration pulling at every feature. "I just...I don't understand it. When I'm dreaming these memories, I'm the me at the time. I feel everything I felt in that moment with you. I feel the happiness, the sadness, the laughter...I feel it all. Then when I wake up, I can still feel it yet I'm still me. I'm the person I am right now. Why is this happening?"

Draco, for his part, maintained a cool level of equanimity and calmness, taking her words at value in that he was still the adult here. He kept reminding himself he wasn't dealing with his intelligent, rational wife but an intelligent, scared teenager (for yes, he still considered the Hermione in front of him very intelligent), one who needed guidance and assurance. Letting out a heavy breath, he said, "I uh...I'm not sure. Maybe it's um...maybe your mind is trying to reformulate everything. Perhaps you are remembering everything albeit slowly and more trying."

"I say it's ridiculous! I just want my memory back because after the dream I just had...I don't even want to fathom what is going to come next!" she bellowed, quite sure (after the fact) she would wake the children. Draco didn't seem to notice her shrieks being over the top.

"Then um...you remembered us calling off the wedding?" he asked.

At this, Hermione stopped pacing and gave him a piercing look, one which made him raise his brows slightly. "No," she whispered venomously, "I remembered _you_ calling off the wedding."

Draco's eyes cast down, closing as though thinking the situation through and through. Oh yeah, he remembered calling off the wedding. It had been one of the most difficult decisions of his life.

"Hermione," he started, his voice soft, "I presume you didn't remember everything then? I mean...you weren't this hostile when you found out why."

"That's just it, I didn't find out why. Care to explain?"

Draco exhaled deeply, an anxious gesture. He told her, "I can't really...um, look it's hard to say. I mean putting it into words once just about killed me so to do it twice—"

"Well, right now I don't care. I want to know why you broke it off," she demanded, sounded older than ever before.

Opening her mouth to speak again, she halted when he exited the room, leaving her there more angry then ever. _I want him to talk to me and then he just walks off? I don't think so! This is bloody preposterous! How in the hell does he expect us to get through all of this, to be honest, when he himself just walks away from me..._

Draco returned, stopping her horrid thoughts about him. Without saying a word, he thrust a piece of torn, discolored parchment into her hands, a grim expression on his handsome face. Biting her lip and watching him return to his spot on the couch, she unfolded the paper and read.

"Oh no..."

Those words summed up the paper.

Nothing else had to be said.

0000000

Hermione and Draco went up to their room, leaving the discussion about what had been read for the morning. They didn't speak as they crawled under the covers, she moved to the furthest part of the bed, and he turned off the lights.

After an hour of heavy thinking, sleep finally, mercifully claimed her...

"_I think you've had enough," said the bartender, eyeing Hermione up and down tautly. "A pretty girl like you shouldn't even be in a joint like this."_

"_Yeah, well apparently I'm not that p-pretty," she slurred, lifting another glass of whiskey to her lips. Making a gruff sound of distaste and distorting her face vilely, she slammed the glass back on the counter._

"_Tell me the problem, love?" asked the bartender. Hermione, though well beyond tipsy, could tell he was interested in why someone like her would be in a place like...well, that would have made the Hog's Head look clean. Finding the most despicable bar in all of England didn't come easy, but once she found it, she didn't leave, drowning her sorrows in muggle liquor. A disgusting, putrid odor filled her nose the moment she walked in, almost blind-siding her upon impact. Once her head cleared, she realized the vile smell was a mixture of vomit, alcohol, and rank perspiration coming from the men occupying the pub. The men eyed her up and down, taking in Hermione's well-groomed form and womanly curves with delight, licking their lips as though a gourmet feast had just been placed before them. Though the customers looked hard, unkept, and wayward, she didn't let that stop her from inhaling every drink placed before her. Besides, the bartender actually seemed nice and appeared to be watching out for her, giving dirty looks to any man even thinking of approaching her._

"_I'll tell you the problem," she began, circling the outer rim of the shot glass with her index finger; "apparently, I'm not a wanted woman (-hic!-) and I wasted t-two years of my life on a man who doesn't want me. He doesn't bloody want me."_

"_No," said the bartender called Jim, a robust bearded man who looked to be in his late forties, wiping up the counter with a dirty towel, "that can't be true. No bloke would be stupid enough to leave you."_

"_Oh yes, Jim, he (-hic!-) did. He doesn't love me. He doesn't want me and I'm a pathetic wench who wasted all of my pre...prec...(_what word am I thinking of again? Prec...something. Presheeosh?_) importan' time on (-hic!-) him thinking we were going places. We're not. We won't."_

"_What happened?" he asked, leaning on the counter toward her._

"_He broke (-hic!-) off our engagement...today! The idiot broke it off today and we're getting married (-hic!-) in like two and a half weeks! What the hell did I d-do? I mean...I know I'm not the prettiest witch (-hic!-), but come on! I'm not a bloody dog either!"_

_Hermione, too drunk to realize her vital mistake, started sobbing right then and there, crying her heart out to a stranger who looked like he hadn't showered in weeks._

"_Aw lassie, don't do that to yourself. You're no witch—" lucky for her, he took it out of context—"and you're a beautiful young girl. The stupid fella doesn't deserve you."_

"_But he does! He was p-perfect and I...(-hic!-) I still love him! Even though he just broke my heart, p-put it in a b-blender, poured it (-hic!-) in an ol' b-boot and then smashed it with his broom doesn't change how much I love him. The bastard stole my heart..."_

_She slammed her fists on the hard surface, knocking over one of the glasses. Shaking her head, she grabbed the bowl of peanuts next to her, hiccuping as she ate them in an unladylike fashion._

"_I hate men," she grumbled, her mouth full of peanuts. "Men suck and I hope they all die...well, save for you cause I t-temporarily like you." Jim nodded, smirking at her acknowledgment. She continued, "I mean, what did I do (-hic!-) that would make him call it off? I mean I'm smart and I have a g-good job and I uh...I was a bloody war hero, for Merlin's sake. Where in the hell does he come off saying he can't marry me? If (-hic!-) anything, I should have b-b-been the one breaking it off with him."_

_Jim didn't take her referral to Merlin to heart, figuring it was some gibberish nonsense slung out by a drunken woman. He humored her, though, and asked, "What's the bloke like? Tell me about the idiot?"_

"_He is uh...well, he's got p-perfect hair. Nobody's hair should (-hic!-) look that good all the time. It's annoying, really. He's uh...he works far too much since he is bloody good at his job. Every business in the world is trying to get him (-hic!-) as a consultant and potential buyer. He is uh..." Hermione trailed off, tears welling in her eyes, some spilling on her pasty cheeks. "Who am I kidding?! He's perfect, I love (-hic!-), and I'm not g-going to get over this!"_

_Hermione didn't know when exactly she felt a hand on her shoulder nor did she care, but when she looked up, she came face to face with her best friend Ginny Weasley. Ginny, who entered the pub sneering at the men who fawned over her like a piece of meat, brushed back the tears falling down her face. With her arrival, Hermione's disposition changed and there was no longer a need for tears, in her mind at least._

"_GIN!" she bellowed, excitedly slapping her friend on the back. "You're just in time for Jim here to (-hic!-) pour us another round of drinks. Jim, please pour t-two uh...um the uh, you know, glass things...one for me and (-hic!-) one for my dear friend here."_

"_Hermione, you're coming home with me," said Ginny firmly, shaking her head at the situation her friend got herself into. _

"_What?" asked Hermione, perplexed in that moment. "N-no...I'm having a great time with Jim and we uh...uh...n-need some (-hic!-) more drinks! I'm bloody parched!"_

"_Only someone like you would mix vulgar language with big words when you're legless. Now, come on, Hermione. I've got to get you home before someone from _our_ paper sees you. Don't you think this will make front page news?" Ginny started tugging on Hermione, lifting one of her arms over the redhead's shoulders._

_Hermione stated, sputtering in the process, "That is why I ch-chose to come to a (-hic!-) m-muggle bar." _

"_Wait, do I have someone famous here?" asked Jim with great surprise, catching the part about the paper._

"_Not really—"_

"_Yes!" interrupted Hermione, nearly falling as Ginny lifted her off the barstool. "I told you I was a war h-hero and I uh...(-hic!-) I've done some amazingly things in before."_

"_Right, Hermione," said Ginny, getting her to walk to the pub exit. "Now, say goodbye to your new friend and we'll get you home."_

"_Fine," submitted Hermione, sounding incredibly hacked off._

"_Bye, Hermione," waved Jim with a smile tugging his beard-covered lips._

_She waved, falling over in her haste to respond, leaving Ginny to mutter a spell under her breath to get her friend out without any more problems. The dwellers of the bar went back to their drinks, unaware that one of the most famous witches to ever exist just got completely plastered in front of their very eyes._

0000000

"_Ughhhh..." moaned Hermione, a severe thumping behind her temples. A tickling sensation existed on her neck and she realized a trail of drool had fallen from her mouth, landing in a pool beneath her chin and wetting the couch. Her normally soft, porcelain skin felt scratchy and coarse, like someone had rubbed sandpaper all over her face. To top it off, a disgusting smell lingered in her nose which she gathered, regrettably, was coming from her. _Bloody hell, it feels like a bloody wand was just drilled in my bloody head. This blows...what in the fuck did I do last night?

"_How do you feel?" asked Ginny, walking into the room with a goblet of blue liquid. Hermione scanned her up and down, eyeing her face and then the solution._

"_What's that?" she asked suspiciously._

"_A hangover potion to keep your head from spinning," muttered Ginny, handing Hermione the glass. Without hesitation, Hermione swallowed the remedy in one gulp. After a mere moment, her vision came into focus and she could make out Ginny's prominent feature, fiery red hair appearing before her. _

"_Better?" asked Ginny._

"_Yeah," replied Hermione, sitting up from her stomach position, wiping the slobber from her chin. "Damn it, what in the hell happened last night?"_

_Ginny sighed, taking a seat next to her friend and shaking her head. "You really want to know what you did?" she asked rhetorically. "You went to a pub, got completely smashed, and then went on to reveal several things about our world to fuckin' muggles! What in the hell is wrong with you?!"_

_Hermione, whose eyes were nearly popping, suddenly felt a blinding pang of remorse shoot through her. Though she couldn't recall what she did the night before, she knew it had been very, very bad. _Oh no...how much information did I give away about our world? Oh Merlin, what if I said something about Draco...Draco...Oh bloody hell, HE is the reason I got totally zonked last night.

"_You going to tell me what happened yesterday? Draco called me up and—"_

"_Draco called you?" asked Hermione in aghast, mouth hanging open in agape._

_Ginny nodded and confirmed, "Yes, he called me. Told me something bad went down between you two and that it would be good for me to look after you. Took me forever to find you, but Merlin, are you trying to scare me to death?"_

_Hermione didn't respond, choosing instead to think about her own worries. _He calls off the engagement yet he still wants to take care of me? Oh Draco...what have you gotten us into? Damn it, when did everything become so screwed up?

"_What happened?" asked Ginny, sensing something amiss about the situation. She knew Hermione well enough to know when her best friend suffered more than she let on. "Did you two have a fight?"_

"_We had more than a fight," Hermione admitted, tears of despair burning her eyes. "He called off the bloody wedding."_

"_WHAT?!"_

"_I think you heard me," said Hermione bitterly._

_Ginny stood up and began pacing, leaving Hermione to shove her face in her hands. The redhead obviously found something wrong about this just as Hermione. "This can't be! This is ridiculous! I KNOW he loves you. He was—IS CRAZY in love with you."_

"_Evidently not. He did, after all, call the wedding off," quipped Hermione, throwing her head back to laugh sullenly, running a hand through her messy hair._

"_What reason did he give you?" asked Ginny hastily, running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off. Hermione witnessed the loyalty of her best friend shining out like never before. Nonetheless, her thoughts were focused on the situation._

"_He didn't give me a reason at all!" yelled Hermione, her fingers fidgeting in her lap; "which is not like him! I know Draco and for him to just...just call it off without reason doesn't make sense. He doesn't...he wouldn't—couldn't do that. He would never do that."_

_Hermione rose from her position on Ginny's couch (for Ginny had apparated them back to her flat rather than Hermione's the night before), swaying slightly from her limbs groggy and hangover-induced uneasiness. After everything cleared, she started pacing as Ginny had done before (who had collapsed in the chair next to Hermione, trying to drink in all the information)._

"_What are you going to do?" _

"_I'll tell you what I'm going to do," said Hermione forcefully, "I'm going to find out why the hell Draco called it off. He had a reason for it and I bloody well want to know what that is."_

"_Alright, sounds good," agreed Ginny, rising to her feet. "Where do we start?"_

_Hermione stopped moving to meet her friend's thoughtful eyes and said, "I'm going to start by tracking down Blaise Zabini. If Draco won't tell me then I will make his best mate speak on his behalf."_

_0000000_

_The smell of the Wench's Nest, a popular wizarding pub, practically knocked Hermione and Ginny off their feet. The entire place reeked of stale ale, fetid food, and the male favorite (according to Ginny - "Merlin, doesn't anyone here bloody shower!") of body odor. Cracking sounds of crushed nuts and whatever else, things neither girl wanted to particularly know, echoed around the stools as their black boots trudged through the mess. Several wizards leered at the women, longing for the opportunity to shag girls looking like them. Ginny blushed, cursing herself for wearing navy blue shorts, eliciting a grin from Hermione. Noise didn't die down upon their entrance, but it certainly lessened, the attention of most of the men falling on the two females._

_In spite of this, Hermione ignored them all, her focus on one man who just happened to be sitting on a barstool, a glass of the hardest firewhiskey in his hand. _

"_Blaise," greeted Hermione, taking a seat beside the normally professional and attractive wizard. He looked up from his drink, smirking._

"_Ladies," he responded, no slur coming out of his mouth. _At least he isn't completely drunk and he'll be lucid enough to get some answers out of,_ thought Hermione thankfully_. _"How can I help you two fine-looking women on a night such as this?"_

"_Save it, Zabini," snarled Ginny, eager to get out of the pub. She was pissed off she had to find Hermione last night in a place just like this, one hell of a feat at that! (She was forced to rely on magic used back during the war. The Order had given the members instructions to carry around a tracking device with them at all times. For some it was something as simple as a sock yet for others it was expensive jewelry. Hermione chose a special ribbon, one which she continued to wear long after the war just in case something dark arose and the Order needed her immediately. Ginny tracked her down, glad, for the first time, Hermione was so paranoid. However, her choice of destination, that ruddy pub, did not sit well with the girl.)_

"_What do you girls want?" he asked, annoyance clearly articulated in his tone._

"_I want to know why Draco called off the wedding and don't even think about lying to me, Blaise. I honestly will kick your ass from here to Hogwarts unless I get an answer. Now, tell me what I want to know." Hermione's low, dangerous voice sent shivers down Ginny's spine...and she KNEW this sort of thing was coming._

_Blaise, a man who towered over Hermione by a foot, stared at her, knocked for six. He hadn't expected for Draco's chick to show up so mad._

"_Answer me, Blaise!" barked Hermione, knowing force would be the only way to get what she wanted._

"_Can–can you...stop yelling at me?" asked Blaise, sounding like a thirteen year old boy getting scolded by Professor McGonagall on a Monday morning. Ginny giggled in earnest, turning away from the two while Hermione held his gaze, wanting the information. Her normally soft features held only determination._

_Blaise lifted the bottle to his lips again before Hermione grabbed it and smashed it on the counter, keeping it out of his reach. "You want the bottle? Fine, I'll give it to you AFTER you tell me what I asked. Why did Draco break it off with me?"_

_For some reason Hermione couldn't figure out, Blaise remained quiet though an unguarded moment allowed his eyes to betray him. She knew he knew more than he tried to let on._

"_Just give me the drink, Granger," he spat, returning to the use of her last name. For the last year and a half, Blaise and Hermione maintained a wonderful relationship. After all, she was dating the man he called his best mate. Ever since they were reintroduced to each other, as witch to wizard as oppose to Gryffindor to Slytherin, they welcomed one another into their lives. As Draco and Hermione's relationship became more and more serious, well beyond just boyfriend and girlfriend but to the point of soul mates, Hermione and Blaise considered the other as a close friend. They were beyond the use of their petty last names...well, until this moment, that is._

"_Not until you talk to me. Come on, Blaise," she pleaded, begging him for answers. Blaise made the mistake of meeting her expression, seeing the hurt, anguish, and despair lined all over her lovely countenance._

_Shaking his head, he mumbled, "Damn it, Hermione, don't do this to me. Don't...I can't tell you so stop asking."_

"_Why?" asked Ginny, earning her a look from Blaise for the first time. "Why can't you tell her?"_

"_Because, loyal best friend, like you, I'm committed to my best mate. I may be friends with Hermione, but my loyalty is to Draco. Now, he told me to keep my mouth shut and I'm going to do that—"_

"_Bullshit!"_

_Hermione lifted the half-empty bottle of aged firewhiskey in the air before she smashed it on the counter, shattering the bottle and causing both liquid and glass to fly all over the bar. Madder than a hatter, she reached out and fisted her tiny hands in Blaise's shirt, pulling him close to her. At only a hair away from one another, she whispered, her voice choking with tears, "I love Draco. I love him with all of my heart and he broke off our engagement without giving me a reason...without telling me why! I can't not know, it's killing me. Please, Blaise, if there is any compassion in you what so ever, tell me."_

_Blaise cringed, momentarily shocked over the situation which just ensued. Who knew Hermione Granger, former Gryffindor bookworm, still had the ability to evoke fear in the enemy (for at the moment, Blaise was exactly that)._

_Blaise said, in a shaky voice, "I want to tell you. Merlin, I want to tell everyone...cause I'm involved in the same exact thing he is." At this, Hermione let him go, staggering back in shock. Blaise cast his view down, exclaiming, "At least he got a taste of the good life. He got you for a while and yet I...I never had the opportunity to love someone as fiercely as he loves you. Now we're both stuck in this mess all cause we received letters. Fuckin' sucks, doesn't it?"_

A letter? A bloody letter tore me and Draco apart?!

"_Letters?" asked Ginny, reading Hermione's mind._

_Blaise nodded, snapping his fingers to alert the bartender he wanted another drink. "Yeah, letters, one for each of us. Blows really. Though, even though I'm envious of Draco to have had a taste of the good life, I do feel pity for him. I mean they say it's better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all. Well, at least I don't have to feel the loss." Finishing his words, Blaise knocked a few gulps back, the warm liquid appearing to have burned his throat all the way down. After letting out a content 'ah' of appreciation, he turned to Hermione and said, "My loyalty is to Draco. I can't tell you too much for...well, you don't want to know about the letters. Trust me...ignorance is bliss."_

"_So says the well-informed," mumbled Hermione, her face blanch and pastier than when she walked in the pub door..._

Hermione's eyes cracked open, her breathing harsh and erratic. Knots littered every inch of her back, her body protesting the shabby treatment she'd given it by having such a bad dream.

Another memory.

Turning to her side, she saw Draco's face twisted in nightmarish agony, blond hair plastered about his forehead.

Something in the back of her mind told her, he was wrapped up in a similar dream.

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_A/N: Alright, well this needs to hold you all over for a while. I'm having my surgery in about eight hours so I'm not a happy person right now. I'm going to be out of it for about a week so please be dears and let me have something nice to come back to:) I'll look forward to all of your lovely reviews._

_I know, I know - you're probably pissed at me for not telling you about "the letter" just yet, but it's coming. Can anyone guess what the letter says?!?! hehehe...or Blaise's involvement?!_

_Oh and for readers of my other story - Evil's Mistress - I've almost got that story completed. You'll understand once it's posted, but it is vital that I write the last two chapters together - the information is crucial for the story to make sense. I'm working on it like crazy, but I just can't slap it out. Hopefully I'll update that once I'm better. It's nearly finished :)_

_A Dream Worth Keeping is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	12. A Loss of Sweet Dreams, Part 3

_A/N: Hey all! Alright, my surgery did NOT go well and I spent a week and a half in recovery. I HATED it and it sucked and I'm pissed and blah!! Anyway, I'm better now and finally getting to enjoy my summer holiday. I apologize seeing as this chapter is long since overdue. _

_Special thanks to: Rashel Quinn, keli, lovin potter, tigger2025643119, ginsensu, Fanatic-Fan, Marjorie, GerGer-says, moonkazoo, mary-pi, SquishyGirl, Ledophole, Galiena Faehler, Munchkin91, slytherinfox, xVibrating Spazoid, Florentine the Great, ebbe04, Sises, Shdwcat27, izzy, MsRisa, naufdude, dracoshott28, Boricuamami1987, marauders rox, slytherinfox, mentarisenja, Death Fox, and especially AnasellaEmm (Again, I cracked up when I read yours!), CrystalizedHeart (Wonderful guesses!!), cemicool (Glad to know that, darling!), and silverlovedragoness (You're always the best!)._

_Question: "Do you pore through books about jewelry or something? I mean 'chalcedonies' and 'tourmalines'? I never knew there were names for those jewels!" -cemicool_

_Answer: When I was about ten, I spotted a picture of the prettiest jewel I've ever seen. It was a raw, uncut piece of blue tourmaline, also known as Paraiba. I always kept that picture since I thought it was so gorgeous; it mesmerized me - still have it, in fact. Anyway, growing up I was always making my own jewelry as well as pieces for my family and friends (I designed not only jewelry, but clothes I wore; I'm great at sewing too! Helped me stand out since nobody ever had anything I wore). Tourmaline managed to stick in the back of my mind seeing as I've never even seen one up close, be it chrome or canary. As I got older and even more fascinated by it, I checked a few online sites and read a few books. To answer your question, I guess I have read many books on it simply because I'm interested in it :) Lol, I swear that when I get married, the guy I'm with will pass on diamonds and get me some form of tourmaline! _

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**A Loss of Sweet Dreams, Part 3 - Chapter 12**

"W'samatter?" slurred Draco in his sleepy state, lifting up from his former sleeping position (meaning face down, directly into his pillow). He reached out, touching her arms in a comforting gesture before she managed a small, very small, smile at him.

"Nothing," she lied, idly twisting at a loose curl hanging around her flushed face. "Go back to sleep."

"No," he said firmly, rising up to lean against the headboard and clasping her hand in his. "Tell me what's wrong?"

She felt that claustrophobic feeling set in again, the one she got when Draco moved too close to her. Something felt wrong yet so incredibly right having him so close, to hold her hand, to comfort her...she couldn't explain it. She certainly couldn't explain her actions for looking up, knowing his face was mere inches away from hers.

Feeling his warm breath on her sent goose bumps all along her arms and legs, right down to her toes. Those eyes, those lips, that pale, pale skin...he really was a beautiful man. A beautiful man who was moving his lips closer to hers, close enough to practically taste them before they'd even met—

TAP!

"Bloody hell," he cursed under his breath though loud enough for her to hear. Sighing and shaking his head in frustration, Draco got out of the bed and walked to the window, allowing the owl which interrupted them into the room. He recognized it immediately and his heart lodged in his throat as he untied the note. Sure enough, he read Blaise's messy writing with ease and began walking toward his closet.

"Ginny is in labor so we have to go now," he told her, quickly changing into some acceptable clothing.

Hermione didn't need to be told twice and shot out of the bed, just as he had moments before, trying to find adequate attire in her haste.

"Are we going to wake the children?" she asked, unsure if they would like to be woken up at three in the morning.

Nodding his head, he muttered, "I don't want them here all night nor do I want them at Mungo's so I'm going to floo them over to the Burrow. Fleur should be there watching her kids as well as the other Weasley grandchildren."

"Alright," agreed Hermione, "I'll go get Bailey and you grab Roxy."

She exited the room, cantering to her son's bedroom, hoping to avoid Draco's gaze at all cost. He almost kissed her...and she had wanted him to.

0000000

"How long does it take to have a baby?!" barked Blaise, pacing around the waiting room, waving his arms like a madman. He'd been pushed out of Ginny's room an hour prior, with slight complications (ones which they assured were not fatal yet required him to exit the room) arising, sending him into a complete fit. Mrs. Weasley attempted to calm him as did George's wife, Luna, but he wouldn't have it. "If somebody doesn't tell me something soon then I'm going to go stark-raving mad! How in the hell can you two be smiling at a time like this?!"

This, of course, had been directed at Draco and Mr. Weasley, both of whom had slight grins on their faces, the latter with a larger one.

"Mate, it's no big deal. I mean you're looking at someone who has waited on a woman to give birth twice," replied Draco with ease, smirking all the while.

A heavy, gruff 'ahem' caught everyone's attention, especially Draco, the one sitting next to the person in question. Mr. Weasley gave Draco a look, one which told him precisely what he thought about the matter. Draco sighed and admitted, "And this guy even has it up on me. He's waited for seven kids."

The women in the room managed a few giggles, even Hermione, thinking men were such nut jobs over something like this.

"Women have babies everyday, Blaise, so I think if you'll just calm yourself, this will go by faster and smoother," reasoned Mrs. Weasley, nodding her head for good measure. With a collective caucus of agreements, Blaise reluctantly took a seat next to Draco, shaking his thigh all the while in an anxious, nervous gesture.

Draco looked up to see Hermione staring at him, her dark eyes boring into his own. He now understood what had her frazzled and he couldn't deny it choked him up as well. The day he received that letter had been one of the worst of his life...

"_I will see you later tonight, love," he told her, stealing a kiss before she had a chance to speak. He pulled back to see her face flushed and red, loving her agitated appearance so much. He pushed some of her hair back and whispered, "Everything will work out."_

"_No it won't, Draco. It will not work out!" she bellowed, shaking her head. He rolled his eyes as she began pacing, throwing her arms around for effect. "I don't even have a bloody dress. We're getting married so soon and we don't have a dress for me to wear. At this point I'm going to end up walking down the aisle naked!"_

"_Well, you know—"_

"_One more word and I will castrate you, Draco Malfoy. Why aren't you nervous over this?!" she asked in exasperation._

"_Because, darling, there is nothing to be nervous about. You could walk down the aisle in a sheet for all I care...well, actually I would rather like that," he quipped cheekily, earning a glare from her before continuing, "All I care about is marrying you and making everything official. How about that, love?"_

"_You are such a...a...such a _man_," she said distastefully. Draco smirked, finding her comment delightful, filling him with even more pride. She, being the intuitive person and knowing him so well, caught on to his arrogant stare and shook her head in vexation. "Did you know you're utterly impossible?!" she shouted, pressing both her hands against his chest._

"_I'm not impossible, but merely a man as you so eloquently put it. In other words, the wedding dress just doesn't worry me and I'll give you some reasons—" he threw in quickly, quieting her before she opened her mouth to retort—"starting with the fact that you'll look beautiful in anything. Another is that you're Hermione bloody Granger, the girl who always comes through. I think you'll find the dress in time, yeah?"_

_Hermione didn't respond, instead opting to stare at his chin, pursing her lips at his observation. _Ha! The girl finally caught my point and has realized just how right I am. It's good to be me, _he thought arrogantly._

"_Stop being smug. I know what you're thinking," she told him, sighing._

"_You know me too well," he said laughingly, kissing her forehead. "So tonight?"_

_Nodding, calmer than before, she replied, "I have to go meet Ginny. If I can't find a dress with that girl than I don't know where I'll find one."_

"_Well I'll be counting the moments until then," he whispered, claiming her lips again before she hugged him tightly and left to meet up with her closest girl-friend. Draco, meanwhile, smiled as he got ready himself, planning on enjoying lunch with his best mate Blaise, the two going over the more 'guy' details of a wedding. Er, more along the lines of pre-wedding details._

_Twenty minutes later, Draco and Blaise were seated at their regular table in their favorite restaurant in Diagon Alley, Blaise in an uproar over Draco's inability to see reason._

"_Mate, it's no big deal! Just a couple of girls and—"_

"_No," said Draco firmly. "Look, Blaise, I'm marrying Hermione for a reason. I love her and I'm not lying to you when I say that other girls don't register to me. I'm not interested in having some...girls or tarts or whatever you want to call 'em tramps around my place simply to appease you." _

_Appearing outraged, Blaise shouted, "It's not for me, mate! I'm doing this because you're about to marry some lass and be stuck with her for the rest of your pathetic life! I just think you should be able to enjoy at least one night of checkin' out the girls you'll never be able to touch _ever_ again."_

_Laughing, Draco replied cheekily, "Trust me, Hermione is enough woman for me to touch. Girl is amazing." He held a twinkle in his eye that Blaise enviously recognized, but that didn't stop him from pulling a face all the same. _

"_Oh please, mate. You can't be bloody serious?!" he barked, covering his face with his hands, annoyed and breathing heavily at his friend's "whipped" state. _

"_I love Hermione," he assured easily, loving the thought of her becoming his wife so soon. "Besides, why can't it just be a guys' night, hm? It is a bachelor party after all. Why is it absolutely crucial to have females there. I'm not interested in having some veelas swarm the flat just for the sake of seeing some ass. I'm a happily engaged man."_

"_You're sick," confirmed Blaise with a nod. "Nobody in their right mind, no guy in his right mind, would ever pass up the opportunity to have some randy women fawn over him. That is just a fact!"_

"_Not a fact, but some stereotypical nonsense that—"_

"_Mr. Malfoy?"_

_The small, high-pitched voice of a young blonde cut the both of them off and forced them to give their attention elsewhere, much to Draco's liking. _The man needs to stop thinking from inside of his pants!

"_Yes, love. How can I help you?" he asked politely and with a smile._

_The girl gulped, looking ashen and already terrified, and handed both him and Blaise folded pieces of old parchment. The two men shared a glance with one another before turning their attention back the girl, a girl already in the midst of walking back toward wherever she came from._

"_Wait," called Blaise, beckoning the child back. She didn't return, but she did not move forward either, instead remaining in her current spot away from the tall men._

"_Who gave this to you?" asked Draco pointedly yet calm._

_The girl looked over her right shoulder, as if checking for someone's gaze, before she whispered, emphasizing the necessity in secrecy by covering her lips with both hands, forcing her voice to drift only to them, "The one in the black cloak. The one with a snake on his wrist."_

_The second the words were out, she dashed as fast as her short little legs would carry her._

"_A dark mark...that doesn't make sense," noted Blaise, his voice tense. "Anyone with one either died or was placed in Azkaban. Everyone was accounted for!"_

_Draco hastily ripped the seal open and scanned the words, his heart moving higher and higher until it lodged itself in his dry, gasping throat..._

Dear Draco Malfoy,

Someone once said that there would come a time when you'd have to choose a side. Light vs. dark, good vs. evil, right vs. wrong; any spin put on it did not change the number; two sides. You, along with a few others, chose to ignore that. You chose to stay out of it. You chose to betray what you were raised to believe in meaning that you will now pay in spades for that disloyalty.

Do not fear for your safety. No physical harm will ever come to you. However, that doesn't mean physical harm will not come to those that you love. Love is a weakness - this is something you were raised to understand yet since you chose to ignore that, we will exploit it. Anyone that you love, anyone that you feel something for, will meet their doom because of your inability to remain loyal.

One person, in particular, will meet a gruesome death that we can only imagine will drive you into insanity.

Everything you love will be taken. Everything you love will be gone. Everything and everyone you love will be done because of you.

Sweet dreams, Draco.

_If Draco could have found his voice, no doubt he would have crumpled to the floor screaming in complete and utter madness. Not finding any speech, he choked out a strangle sigh, sounding more along the lines of an animalistic groan._

"_B-but...who didn't they catch? Who in the fuck is still out there?!" bellowed Blaise, already starting to hyperventilate himself, no doubt having read the exact same thing._

_Draco didn't respond. His only thought at that moment was how in the hell could he explain this to Hermione?_

Draco's thoughts broke off when Blaise suddenly jerked up and raced into Ginny's room, out of his mind with hysteria. A healer had just informed him that he could return to the room yet denied any other occupant information. Draco looked back to see Hermione slumped against her chair, chewing her lip pensively.

Had that owl not interrupted them in that moment, he would have kissed her. He would have given her a kiss she'd never forget. Bloody owl. He hadn't been with his wife in so long that it was driving him into madness. Hermione and him had always had a very strong...er, physical chemistry and to go so long without holding her, touching her, feeling her, and kissing her...Draco damn near felt out of control with wanting her. So yes, he wanted to kiss her..._needed _to kiss her.

Hermione, twirling her fingers around the loose material of her shirt and still biting her lip, thought about what had happened in that bedroom. He'd been so close to her lips yet she didn't want him to pull away from her. What would have happened if he'd managed to kiss her? Would she resent him? Would she have liked it? Would she have kissed him back? Why did life have to be so bloody complicated?

A healer came out to inform them of an even longer waiting period. Hermione sighed, too tired to think any longer. Deciding to continue this exploration in the life her older self led, she crossed the short distance between the opposite seating areas and plopped down next to Draco. He gave her a questioning look everyone else missed. It startled her for a moment to realize just how close they were that as if on instinct she seemed to recognize his guarded facial expressions. Shaking her head, she laid her head in his lap and closed her eyes, mewling in satisfaction as he ran his fingers threw her long, curly hair...

"_I'm not going to lose him over this. I'm not going to let some letter ruin everything that I have with him," growled Hermione, suddenly overwhelmed with anger. Along with the anger came a vast need to pummel Draco within an inch of his life. _He broke it off because of a damn letter...THAT COWARD!

_Ginny, recognizing the glint in her best friend's eyes, after a moment's hesitation, asked, "What are you going to do?"_

_Sighing, looking up to meet her friend's stare, answered, "I'm going to go talk to Draco Malfoy and knock some bloody sense in him!"_

"_You can't do that!" yelled Blaise desperately; "you just can't! I m-mean...he nearly killed himself (-hic!-) over the thought about losing you. When he got that note...he waited a few days before he finally went through with it. He c-c-couldn't stand the thought of something happening to you because of him. The g-guilt would have been far too much."_

_His words, though slurred and reeking from the hard stench of alcohol, made sense to a degree. That didn't change Hermione's resolve. She fully intended on talking this out with Draco, come Hell or high water. _

"_Noted, Blaise," she muttered curtly, "I appreciate that. However, I don't care about how hard it was on him. He should have had the balls to discuss this with me and I don't give a shit whether or not he is hurting over this. What I do care about is coming to a better conclusion over this whole mess. I want to hear the words from his mouth just so I can correct him!"_

"_Correct him?" responded Blaise, a hint of disbelief in his tone, nearly implying she had far too many balls herself for even thinking such a thing. "Darling, I don't (-hic!-) know if you're aware, but Draco isn't in the best of moods right here."_

"_Now, you mean?" asked Ginny._

"_That's what I said," snapped Blaise, shaking the redhead's correction off. He continued, "He is uh, you know, dealing with a lot more than just losing you, but like his whole life. Can't you show the man some compassion and leave him alone?! (-hic!-)"_

_Smiling unfriendly, Hermione shook her head. "Sorry Blaise, but I fully intend on hearing everything you just told me from his mouth. I'll catch you two later."_

_After Hermione was out the door, Blaise turned to Ginny and asked, "Is she always so...what's the word?"_

"_Commanding? Strong? Forceful?"_

"_No, none of (-hic!-) those. Give me others one, only meaner."_

_Ginny smirked and suggested, "Catty?"_

"_That works!" slurred Blaise, oddly happy over it. He then focused on the cute girl beside him and asked, "Want a drink? I was just yelled at by your friend, (-hic!-) you know."_

_Lifting her brows in recognition of his words, she grabbed the bottle, taking a deep swig herself. Blaise, smiling wanly, patted her on the back before he passed out next to her._

_0000000_

_Hermione went into his house without preamble, not even bothering to knock or so forth. It wasn't uncommon for her to walk in without knocking before, but now she felt almost unwelcome. _He did break off the engagement with me yesterday, no?

_Searching high and low, she discovered he wasn't even in the house. This, naturally, made her even madder than before. Resignation soon placated her when she realized where he was; _the creek! He must be there since that's where he goes when he is mad or sad or...bloody hell, get your ass out there!

_After racing through the flat and darting out into the open meadow of Draco's beautiful property, she spotted his most prominent feature—his silver hair!—by the brook filled with water lilies._

"_Why are you here?" he asked, not bothering to turn around, sensing her presence; knowing her to the core._

"_I uh..." she stammered, unsure of what to say. The intensity of anger fled the moment she heard his voice, so lost and filled to the brim with pure despair._

_Shaking his head, he sighed, "I thought I told you we were over. I thought I told you that this couldn't go on. What the hell are you still doing here?"_

"_Draco, I...can't..."_

"_Hermione, you shouldn't be here. I made it clear to you that it's over and yet you—"_

"_Blaise told me everything!" she spilled out, no longer caring about choosing her words properly. _Well, he's being quite the arse and...and I'M the one who has the right to be mad. How dare he scold me?!

_Anger fled from her again when he faced her. _Merlin, he looks destroyed._ Indeed his appearance was off putting for anyone he regularly interacted with or had seen him period. As a rich, powerful man, he often times held the cover on many wizarding tabloids, not just for his work alone. His charm and absolutely gorgeous looks made him quite the popular gent. Alas, in that moment he looked anything other than handsome. His face looked gaunt and white, much paler than normal, a feat highly unusual. Blond locks normally well-kept and slicked back looked unwashed and rumpled, matting to his forehead in various spots. His eyes no longer twinkled nor did his lips pucker out healthily. A day's worth of growth lined his jaw and his clothes appeared wrinkled and slept in, ridiculously lazy concepts unfamiliar with a guy like Draco. Hermione noticed fleetingly that he wasn't even coordinated. _When did he start wearing dark blue slacks with an pastel, apple green shirt? Come to think of it, when did he start wearing apple green shirts? Bleh, he looks awful!

_He looked dead...just dead._

"_Blaise told you?"_

_Nodding, she muttered, "He told me everything. He told me how some stupid letter tore us apart and I want to know just what type of letter could do that. Why in the hell would you buy into threats because clearly Blaise implied just that. This letter...what was it about that would make you call off our bloody engagement?!"_

_Draco astonished the woman when he turned back around and laughed. He had the nerve to laugh at her right then! Alright, so it was a bitter, sarcastic-type of laugh, but it was still a bloody laugh!_

"_You know," he began, his voice hoarse, "I'm going to miss the most random things. I realized the other day that I'm going to miss your smell on my pillow. You smell delectable and I know your fragrance will eventually fade. Pity."_

"_Are you kidding me? You're here blubbering over the things you'll miss?!"_

"_I-I think I'll also miss you dancing everywhere. I never told you that, but Merlin I love when you dance, especially when you think nobody is watching you. I'm going to miss that so much."_

"_You shouldn't have to miss those things! A letter shouldn't keep you from them!" she barked, hysteria setting in. _

_Exhaling loudly, running his hands across his tired face, he said, "Hermione...it's not...this letter—these _threats _are not like anything I've ever dealt with before."_

"_I don't care. Tell me."_

_Pursing his lips and fighting for strong composure, he muttered, through clenched teeth, "I can handle people—dark people, whatever, threatening me. I can handle them threatening my life and well-being, but I cannot handle them threatening me with a means of you. I can't even fathom the thought of something happening to you so hearing them make threats on your behalf...it got under my skin and hasn't stopped eating me since."_

_Hermione fell to the ground, pulling her knees up to herself. The anger was no longer there, not even waiting and preparing itself to burst up when need be; just gone. _How could I have been so stupid?! Here I am, thinking him the cruelest man for doing this, for hurting me selfishly, when really it was the opposite. He was committing a selfless act - er, I guess what he thought was best, but however misguided it was selfless - to save me. How could I have ever thought such nasty, callous things about him?

"_I can't marry you because I can't lose you, Hermione. I just can't." Putting his head down, he ran his fingers through his fine hair. "Besides, you'll find a better man than me. You'll find someone who won't get you killed. You'll be fine, Hermione."_

"_I won't," she sobbed brokenheartedly._

"_You will," he assured her._

_The two of them sat together, listening to the sounds of the water, for a long while, neither daring to speak. Hermione's mind raced around for an answer while Draco sat around helplessly and hopelessly, knowing nothing could solve this problem._

_That was when it hit her._

"_I have an idea," she exclaimed, knuckling away her tears, which started to fall at his admission, reticently._

"_Hermione, I'm sure it's brilliant, but it won't work."_

"_It will," she said steadfastly, "I know it will. I mean...the letter was a threat from whom exactly?"_

_Rubbing his face again, he admitted, "I don't know. From what I gather, it's some death eater who wants to make my life hell."_

"_Right," she said, sniffling slightly through her tears. "Alright, well I-I...I think I know what we can do."_

"_Yeah, what?" he asked dully, obviously not really caring, knowing he'd say no to whatever suggestion._

"_Marry me anyway."_

_Draco met her eyes, unsure if he'd heard her correctly. She continued, "I mean...you say you can't lose me and by ending our relationship you do just that. Why not marry me instead? Beat them at their own game. Let them try to tear us apart. Let them just try."_

_His haunted expression shifted into sheer bewilderment. He leaned forward and took her hand, immediately feeling wonderful again just by touching her skin._

"_You're serious?"_

"_Marry me, Draco," she whispered, touching his face with her hand. She looked down and away as she said, "Prove to them that Draco Malfoy doesn't give up without a fight..."_

Startled out of her sleep in an uncomfortable position, Hermione rolled off of Draco's lap to land in a heap on the floor. Draco reacted quickly, ridding himself of his own vestiges of sleep (he'd drifted off shortly after Hermione, finding comfort in her so close), scooped her up to place her back on the chair.

"Are you alright?" he asked concernedly.

"You were every bit as hurt as me. You really do love me."

Not knowing, nor caring, which memory she'd just woken up from, he nodded on instinct, sucking her words in.

"I really do love you."

Hermione opened her mouth to respond, but had been cut off by a joyous Blaise, a man who came out with a grin to outshine Callie Foresta's, a sixteenth century gorgon whose smile blinded anyone who laid eyes upon it.

"I'm a father! I'm a father to my baby girl, Autumn Darby Zabini!"

Hermione and Draco's talk was put on hold as Mrs. Weasley tore past them and engulfed her son-in-law in a fierce hug.

* * *

_A/N: This chapter definitely came from the inspiration of my current favorite song (lol I'm so bad when it comes to choosing just one) "Better Than Me" by Hinder. The lyrics definitely influenced the way I chose to write this chapter. Speaking of the chapter, who wrote the letter? Any ideas?_

_I saw Harry Potter and the OOTP (at midnight of course - forever the HP freak, eh?) and it was awesome! Lol, didn't follow the book at all, but very entertaining and worth the watch. What did everyone else think? I thought the chick playing Luna did a fabulous job!_

_Six more days - book 7! Is anyone else getting melancholy over it? I mean...have you guys realized that this is it? Everything that we've read has led us up to this and nothing will follow it. Before the violins break out, I'll stop._

_READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it._

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	13. Anarchic Nuptials

_A/N: Well, I hope everyone enjoyed_ The Deathly Hallows_. I could not put it down nor was I let down. I, personally, thought it was a fitting, though bittersweet, ending. A fabulous ending to the incredible epic we all know and love. However, out of respect to those who have not yet finished, I will say no more about it._

_Anyway, here is the next chapter which I had a lot of fun writing! I hope you all enjoy it._

_Special thanks to: cemicool, twin-v, dynonugget, XxstarrlighttxX, Izzy92, Marjorie, Rashel Quinn, Munchkin91, blackpurpletulip, blulioness, tigger2025643119, AnasellaEmm, Florentine the Great, MsRisa, mentarisenja, moonkazoo, fallen2302, Chelsae33, cmtaylor531, ebbe04, aquamarine04, Rikku Ree, jill, SquishyGirl, marauders rox, Joanna, dracoshott28, Erytha, weetzielovexx, and especially silverlovedragoness (I'm still waiting to beta your story girl!) and InLove09 (I appreciate your understanding in my obsession with reading _Hallows _and still typing this story!)._

* * *

**Anarchic Nuptials - Chapter 13**

"She's beautiful," cooed Hermione, brushing back a soft thatch of dark hair from the baby's sleeping face. Ginny nodded, wondrously proud and happier than she'd been in a long time. Her baby girl was finally safe, encased in her arms, never to be without love or care. "Autumn will grow into quite the looker."

"Merlin, don't mention that to Blaise. He about had a heart attack when he realized we had a girl. After the initial moments of pure bliss, he began muttering, in complete hysteria, how he'd never get a moments rest with her—" she sighed, then resumed speaking in a mock-tone of her husband—"_I will never be able to let her out of the house. Filthy scum will be all over her! She is so bloody gorgeous and every boy will want a piece of her. Not under my watch!_"

Hermione laughed, gently running her finger over the baby's small ear. Autumn whimpered in her mother's hold, but did not rouse, opting for a more comfortable position in the crook of Ginny's arm. The redhead beamed, dropping a light kiss in her forehead before she looked back to her friend.

"You look like death," she observed, finding no need to shelter her bluntness.

Hermione rolled her eyes, retorted an insincere gratuity, then went back to staring at the baby.

"I'm sorry, but it had to be said. What's going on? Nightmares still bothering you?" Ginny asked worriedly.

"It's more than just nightmares. I'm getting memories of my life back with him, but..." she broke off, rethinking her words. "When I first had them, they were great. Malfoy turned into quite the charmer when he first attempted to get my attention."

Ginny snorted and quipped, "Well, charm hasn't really been a problem of his, eh? Don't you remember him back in school? He had every girl, Slytherin or other house, virtually throwing themselves at him. If he hadn't been such a bastard, I might even had taken a go at him."

Smiling wanly, Hermione continued, "The charm carried over and I more-or-less enjoyed those dreams. Lately though...they've been something else entirely. I can barely sleep without fear of waking up drenched in cold sweat." Hermione tugged at her ponytail, feeling so young in the presence of her (_emotionally, at least. Physically we're the same_) more mature friend.

"Hermione—"

"I'm scared Ginny. I'm truly starting to get scared because I know these dreams...memories...whatever the hell you want to call them - they're going to get worse. I know it. Having seen some bad ones already...I-I just...I'm scared to see how much worse they can get."

Ginny didn't know how to respond. If she was being honest with herself, she really didn't know what to think about the entire situation. Hermione had always been the cool one in their relationship; the calm one, the collected one, the one who kept her head on during rough patches or spats. Ginny, no doubt taking a cue from her fiery hair, tended to be more temperamental and hotheaded, sometimes acting out before thinking the scenario through. Their two personalities meshed well together, making them easy friends. Even though Hermione tended to have more fun after Draco entered her life and Ginny relaxed some upon Blaise's arrival, the two still looked to each other for balance. Normally, when Ginny had a problem, she turned to her husband and best friend. Without Hermione to turn to, without the know-it-all girl to tell her how to get through something, Ginny felt a little lost. Draco missed her more than anyone - she'd never dispute it - yet it didn't mean Ginny wasn't hurting. She was hurting like hell.

Ginny knew her best friend needed help, no matter what age she was at, and damn it - she intended on helping her.

"You're allowed to be scared," she told her softly. "No matter what age you're at, you're going to get scared sometimes. Probably more now than you did when you were sixteen."

"How can you say that?" asked Hermione meekly. "I was fighting Voldemort back then and now I'm...

"You're a wife and a mother. Trust me, Hermione, there is nothing scarier. Giving your life over to a man and then bearing his child...nothing frightens me more at times.

"I don't understand," admitted Hermione, sounding almost sheepish, but pushing along in spite. "I always hoped to get married and have children. Everyone says it's a blessing."

"Don't get me wrong," replied Ginny, "It is a blessing and I'm grateful everyday to have Blaise in my life. I'm incredibly thankful to have this beautiful girl in my arms...to know that love made her is overwhelming. I love that feeling and I love my family. It doesn't negate the fact that this is also the most terrifying thing to ever exist in my world."

Even with Ginny's explanation, Hermione still didn't fully understand. Reading her face, Ginny further elucidated, "Think of it this way. You have a fairytale that is filled with excitement and romance and dragons and magic and a prince saving his lady. All the commotion and chaos brings about excitement and a rush. You can't help but feel alive when you read it, right?"

Nodding, Hermione cocked her head to the side, leaning on her elbows and holding her chin within the confines of her palms.

Ginny continued, "Then comes the climax. An important moment when everything changes. Notice though, in every fairytale, the story shifts in years by the simple line of 'and they lived happily ever after'. Authors choose to end it there by skipping years and allowing the readers to use their imaginations. All we know is that in the end...the prince and the princess are happy."

"I guess. It's happened in all the stories I've read. All the major ones, at least," Hermione said thoughtfully.

"Exactly. It's happened in all of them. But do you know why they end with that line, Hermione?"

Hermione thought for a moment, thinking over all of Ginny's words and descriptions, before she shook it, waiting curiously for Ginny to answer. The redhead smiled and returned her gaze back to the sleeping infant nestled beneath her chin.

"They skip from climax to idyllic conclusion because the author knows that nothing in between is ever perfect."

"I...I...thought..."

"You and every other person out there Hermione. All of us want that fairytale ending and you know what, a lot of us get it. It doesn't mean, however, that everything is perfect. Our men fought the dragon to reach our tower and save us. They won our hearts, Hermione. They did. Now, we're just in the stage between the climax and happily ever after."

Hermione bit her lip ruefully, suddenly thinking back to the initial memories. Draco had indeed won her heart, fighting off the dragon eating away at her: the guilt of losing her friends in battle and not dying with them, not dying with honor. The guilt of being the only one to have survived after years and years of hostility, turmoil, and fighting. Draco helped her live again and now they were in fact at...everything between happily ever after.

"Nothing is perfect Hermione," Ginny told her astutely. "Nobody's marriage is ever perfect. Let me tell you, though, that yours was pretty damn close."

0000000

That night, sitting at the kitchen table with Draco, Roxy, and Bailey, Hermione appeared more subdued than before. Ginny's words echoed in her mind, focusing her thoughts on fairytales and such.

The redhead's words held truth. A LOT of truth.

"Something wrong with the barley?" asked Draco, concern written on his handsome face. Managing a small smile, she shook her head and took a bite of the oatmeal, the quick dinner he'd thrown together after leaving the hospital and grabbing his children. Of course the Weasleys offered them spots at their dinner table, but they passed, wanting to give their family the privacy they deserved. Ginny and Blaise were still at Mungos, but all the Weasley children had come to their parent's house along with their spouses, celebrating the newest member of their family. Draco and Hermione normally would have been right there, but both of them felt on some level that it wasn't appropriate at that moment. Hermione still wasn't back to normal.

"When do we get to see Aww-tum?" asked Roxy, mixing the contents in her bowl lazily.

"Autumn, honey," corrected Draco, "and I'm sure you'll see her soon. Your Aunt Ginny and Uncle Blaise will bring her by when she is allowed to visit."

"Is she pretty?" asked the girl excitedly.

Draco nodded, telling her in detail what the newborn looked like. Hermione smiled during his chat with their daughter, finding it heartwarmingly paternal. After the two children finished and Roxy brought her dishes to the sink (Bailey was still too little to do that so Draco cleaned up his), they left to go play together in the living room, laughing gaily in the large room.

"You're a good father," said Hermione as she and Draco cleaned up the kitchen. Caught off guard, Draco turned to her with a half-smile.

"Thank you," he murmured, "but where did that come from?"

"I thought about it when I saw you just now. You're great with them."

A sense of contentment washed over him as he magicked the dishes, letting them wash themselves. Having her compliment him that way seemed like another large step in returning her to the wife he knew and loved. He wanted her back, desperately needed her back, and this sort of thing gave him the strength to persevere forward.

"Did something happen today?" he asked her as they left the kitchen to join another common room of the house. "You seemed really, I don't know, lost in thought after you left Ginny's room."

Hermione shrugged, standing in front of a large bay window, staring out at the dark sky. Millions of stars twinkled and danced at her, a grin tugging at the corners of her mouth.

"It's so beautiful tonight. I guess it's nature's way of welcoming Autumn into the world, yeah?" She turned up to meet Draco's gaze, giving him a dashing smile which he appeared to appreciate. He did not answer her aloud, but nodded and stared at the same glorious scene.

0000000

That night, Hermione and Draco slept peacefully side-by-side, facing each other for the first time. She'd even let him hold her hand as they fell asleep, liking the way he stroked her knuckles in a comforting gesture. Her dreams again came in the form of a memory...

"_You're both nuts!" bellowed Blaise, smacking his hand on the couch as though to punctuate his words more. "You're both positively crazy if you think you can do this! You're a dolt, man—"_

"_I think it's romantic!" countered Ginny, tossing Blaise a leer. "Just because you don't have the balls to do something like that—"_

"_I've got plenty," he growled, sneering at the petite girl. "I, however, am not a fool. If he truly loves her than he wouldn't put her at risk."_

"_If he truly loves her than he won't give her up, you idiot. I'd ask how someone could be so simple-minded, but then again I must remember that I'm talking to a Slytherin."_

"_We're a smarter bunch than any of you Gryffinbitches! Don't even get me started on you morons. I swear...if you weren't a girl..."_

"_You'd what?" snarled Ginny, taunting him, rising to her feet. "Hit me? Well, rules are a little different when it comes to fighting me. I'm no princess, trust me. Give it your best shot, Zabini. You can even have the first punch and trust me when I say that you better knock me out. If I get up, your ass is mine!"_

_Standing up, a mere inch from her face, he hissed, "She-Weasley, I swear—"_

"_Will you two stop acting like children?"_

_Blaise and Ginny simultaneously looked at Hermione and Draco sitting together on the couch. Her legs were crossed over his, her head leaning on his shoulder. He had his left arm wrapped around her back balancing her while the other held her hand, gently squeezing every few minutes. Hermione's voice had been the one to break it though Draco's expression appeared even more exasperated as she sounded._

"_Remember you're at Hermione's flat. We don't want any fights breaking out here, alright?" Draco's voice had been soft, but his firm tone let the two know no argument would ensue. _

_Sheepishly, they took their seats opposite from one another again, clasping their hands together as though in punishment, scared after being scolded by a more authoritative person._

"_Besides," Draco added as an afterthought, "Ginny would kick your ass."_

_Hermione burst out laughing as Ginny beamed, smirking at the man across from her. He shook his head, annoyed and still scared over the situation which none of them had forgotten about._

"_Man...you can't do this. Draco, you can't," murmured Blaise, calmer than before._

_Draco sighed, turning his head to kiss Hermione's forehead, smelling her lovely scent. She smelled of new parchment and peppermint humbugs. Blaise's words automatically made him hold Hermione tighter, her reciprocating by whispering, "It's alright. It's gonna be alright, Draco."_

"_I understand that you love her, but you read the letter...do you know what they'll do to her?"_

_Hermione knew Draco's worst fears consisted of what the person, or persons, who sent the letter would do to her. He spoke to her about it, after she finally convinced him that being together would be the only way to keep her safe. Told her about all the morbid thoughts filtering through his mind. Told her about the terrible things he imagined they'd do to her before they killed her, rip her limb from bloody limb, killing him in the process. She felt his arms tighten around her, almost violently, clunking his chin on her shoulder and breathing her in._

"_She is still a target whether they're together or not," Ginny informed him sensibly. "She is safer with him than she is alone. At least he can protect her when they're together."_

_Hermione scoffed, "You all make it out like I'm some incapable bint! Have you all forgotten I was the best in our year. I can handle myself."_

"_Better in your year, yes, and we're not disputing that," muttered Ginny. "We are, however, saying that the letter made it evident that your safety is not something to assume is being handled. To hurt Draco, they'll hurt you."_

"_Precisely why you should just let this go!" shouted Blaise. "Why am I the only one who sees reason?!"_

"_You're not. You're just the only one who is tenacious enough to keep arguing the inevitable," snarled Ginny._

_Blaise again huffed up like a fat toad, crossing his arms and leaning against the beige chair as he shot daggers back and forth from Ginny to Draco. While Ginny returned the rude expressions, Draco remained in his thoughts, still worrying over whether or not he made the right decision. Hermione knew this, knowing him the way she did, and offered him the only comfort she could give him..._

"_Care for some tea, love?"_

_Well, she could offer him more physical comfort obviously, but not with the present company. Besides, tea generally soothed him and he seemed pleased by the offer._

"_That'd be nice. Thanks, Hermione," he whispered, allowing her to stand up from his embrace._

"_Anyone else? Blaise? Gin?"_

_Both gave terse nods, refusing to break the staring contest they initiated between the other. Hermione sighed and entered her kitchen, running her hands over her face. Merlin, she felt tired. After all of the day's events she merely wanted to grab Draco, curl up in his warmth, and fall asleep. Shagging him mercilessly seemed appealing too, but her body was just too bloody tired._

_Suddenly, the lights went out (being the product of muggle parents much of her furniture was of muggle origin. Her lighting was made up of modern electricity and a few candles. Lamps and such littered the house) making Hermione reach for her back pocket on instinct, her memories of the war still fresh in her mind. Feeling around she realized quickly that she didn't have her wand on her._

"_Oh shit..."_

"_Hermione!"_

"_Draco I'm fine," she murmured, running out into the living room to see three wands lit and scanning the area soundly. Blaise had rushed to the side windows, looking out to see who possibly was watching them. Ginny went into the back room, doing the same for all the windows in the back of the house. Draco rushed over to her, engulfing her immediately._

"_You alright?" he asked in a panicked, protective voice._

_She nodded at once, using his wand light to locate hers. She saw it on the side drawer by the door, sitting placidly and unmoving. She strode over as Draco began to conduct a raid himself, gulping thickly as she pulled the dark piece of wood into her hand. _

_BANG!_

_Her wand flew up toward the door which just received an incredible blow, far too hard and loud to even be considered a knock. _

"_Hermione get away from the door!" he bellowed, yanking her swiftly and intensely behind him._

"_What in the fuck was that?" asked Blaise, now standing next to the couple, his hand placed firmly on Ginny's shoulder. She looked paler than usual and seemed to creep closer and closer to Blaise with each passing second._

"_Come out, come out, wherever you are..." muttered a taunting, callous voice. Hermione recognized it, as did the others based on their body movements, but she couldn't quite place it. Where had she heard that deep voice before? Where had she heard that mocking tone? Where?_

"_Avery."_

_The waves of anger in Draco's voice surfaced faster than a dragon's roar..._

"_But Avery is dead. Avery died in the war," said Ginny, her voice cracking._

"_That isn't the same Avery. It's his son," he hissed, his grip tightening automatically on Hermione. _

"_So..." began Blaise, breaking off as the realization came to him. Draco continued what he could not finish..._

"_So this is it. This is the game they're playing. Fitting considering their parents. Basically," he growled through suddenly clenched teeth, "the sons and daughters of the death eaters have decided to continue their parent's line of work. I guess they're going to attempt to claim what You-Know-Who could not."_

"_You mean people like Bulstrode and such are the ones who sent you the letter?" asked Ginny._

"_That is my theory, yes."_

_BANG!_

_BANG!_

"_We know you're in there little Hermione. Come out and have some fun!" shrieked a female voice that Hermione recognized to be a former schoolmate, Pansy Parkinson._

"_Bitch," snarled Blaise hotly._

"_You've got five minutes to come out before we come in. I suggest an easy surrender or else we'll make this a little bit more fun for us. Five minutes starting now."_

"_Fuck," growled Blaise, suddenly pulling Ginny to his body, wrapping an arm completely around her. Huddling all four of them up together, the two men looked to each other for answers, wondering how in the hell to get past their former house-mates. Draco rested his head on Hermione's, breathing heavily and hoping like hell that something would come to him._

"_I say we fight."_

"_What?" asked Blaise, looking down at Ginny like she'd grown a third head._

"_I say we fight. Hermione and I fought before and we can do it again. I will not have my brother's death be in vain nor Harry's and certainly not by some idiotic scum who barely passed their N.E.W.T.s."_

"_We don't even know how many are out there. I have no reason to believe we out number them even though they only believe Hermione to be in here," reasoned Draco, still holding Hermione._

"_We fight," seconded Hermione, her eyes firmly placed on the door before her. "We fight, but first—" she quickly turned around to face Draco—"I want to marry you. Right now."_

"_Hermione I don't think it's the time for bloody nuptials! In fact, I reckon they'll be literally _bloody_ nuptials if we don't figure out something right now," hissed Blaise, his face tight with fear and loathing, directed at the people outside._

"_Marry me, Draco. Marry me."_

_Draco stared at her for a long while, caressing her cheek and wishing they were anywhere else other than trapped in the house (she cut herself off the floo network and the apparation wards were in place inside the confines of the wizarding community she inhabited). Yet, having her stare at him, looking as gorgeous as ever - tired, but radiantly gorgeous - made the rest of the world melt away._

"_Marry us Blaise," said Draco, Hermione smiling at him in the wake._

"_What?!" bellowed Blaise, looking at his best mate incredulously. "Are you fucking serious?! I don't even know how to do that nor will it even be legal. What is the damn point?"_

"_It matters to us," he said easily._

"_You're fuckin' crazy—"_

"_Oh just do it Zabini," yelled Ginny. _

_The dark man looked back and forth between the couple, still locked in an embrace and staring at each other with passionate gazes, and Ginny, hands on her hips and red hair falling all around her frame. _

"_Oh bloody hell...fine," he finally agreed, speaking heatedly; "Face each other, I guess."_

_Hermione and Draco complied immediately, the latter taking the former's small hands in his own, gently rubbing his thumbs over her dainty fingers._

"_Um...Do you Draco—"_

"_It starts out with 'We are gathered her today', you idiot," cried Ginny, now pacing around the flat, panic in her voice. "At least try to make it seem real!"_

"_Alright! Um...we're gathered here to uh marry Draco and Hermione. Um...marriage is a gift and something to be uh...er, loved and cherished and blah, blah, blah. Do you Draco—"_

_BANG!_

"—_take Hermione to be your—"_

_BANG!_

"_wife?"_

"_Three minutes left, Hermione!" taunted another cruel from outside._

_Draco, smiling and still holding Hermione's hand firmly in his own, whispered forcefully and with conviction, "I do." _

_Hermione bit her lip shyly as Blaise continued, "Great. Uh...and do you Hermione take Draco to be your man—"_

"_Husband!" corrected Ginny._

"_I mean husband! Do you take him to be your husband? Merlin, it's not like this is bloody easy..."_

_He continued to bicker at Ginny while Hermione appeared to not take notice. She only held eyes for Draco as she whispered, "I do."_

"_Alright. Well then uh...I now pronounce y---_

"_THEY NEED RINGS!" screamed Ginny, jumping at the clout on the door. They only had a minute and a half left._

"_Fuck, you do need rings. Draco tell me you have a ring!"_

_Draco didn't miss a beat as he let go of Hermione's hand to reach into his pocket, pulling out the small box he'd purchased so long ago. Hermione's stomach grew tense, an excited tense, with butterflies as he popped open the box to reveal the most gorgeous stone she'd ever laid eyes on._

"_Damn!" shrieked Ginny, checking out the rock. "Draco...you've got great taste."_

"_Glad you approve," muttered Blaise impatiently. "Now put the bloody thing on her."_

_Draco slid the ring gently and slowly over her knuckle, laying it to rest on her third finger forevermore. After completed, he pulled his hand back and held hers once again. Hermione hardly seemed to be able to suck in enough air, her feelings overwhelming her so._

_BANG!_

_In an anxious voice, Blaise proclaimed, "I now pronounce you, man and wife. Now kiss her already!"_

_Draco didn't need to be told twice as he pulled Hermione to him and kissed her fiercely, their lips melting together. He wrapped his arms around her while hers snaked up and wound in his colorless hair, their passion palpable. Draco dipped her low, her left leg wrapping around his waist, earning her a groan from him. _

_It was a kiss to end all kisses._

_Only when the door was blasted off the hinges did they break apart - even then with great reluctance..._

Hermione sat bolt up right, her heart pounding in her chest and panting as though she'd just run a marathon. Draco, sensing her distress even in his sleep, sat upright as well, wrapping an arm around her.

"Are you alright, love?"

She turned to face him, seeing the same look on his face he'd given her in the dream...

_Not dream, but memory. He'd looked at her–AT ME!–like that in the memory. He loves me and bloody hell, I understand now why I fell in love with him._

"Hermione, I—"

Before Draco could finish, Hermione met his lips, kissing him with the same fervor and passion as she had in the memory. Though slightly confused and startled at first, Draco eventually gave in and kissed her back, wrapping his arms around her. For the first time in a long time, Hermione snogged her husband senseless.

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_A/N: So what did you all think? What did you guys think about Blaise and Ginny's argument? What did you guys think of Hermione and Draco snogging like teenagers in the Hogwart's halls:)_

_Hopefully I'll get the next chapter up soon. I'm still so shocked over _Hallows _that I surprised myself when I managed to get this chapter out so quickly. My mind is still in a whirlwind over the story. The last few chapters...AH!! Did anyone else cry?Also, for those of you interested, I'm writing a Harry/Ginny story (short - about five to seven long chapters expect) which I'd love for you to check out once posted. I've always fancied the relationship, but after reading the seventh book I love it even more!! _

_READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it._

A Dream Worth Keeping _is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	14. I Could Get Used to This

_A/N: Alright, I worked like mad on this chapter in order to get it out. I'm trying to write two other stories and keep this one a top priority so it's a lot of work as you can imagine. Not to mention I'm starting to plan yet another story with another AWESOME writer so bleh...again, it's a lot of work._

_Special thanks to: AnasellaEmm, XxstarrlighttxX, MsRisa, blulioness, Rashel Quinn, cemicool, charity, fallen2302, Bubbes, dracoshott28, Aisling Malfoy, weetzielovexx, chocolateveela, cherrixwolf, Chelsae33, Munchkin91, Erytha, mentarisenja, tigger2025643119, Marjorie, bluebaby3296, mary-pi, BulletGirl2647, Izzy92, naufdude, SquishyGirl, dynonugget, giroshi-hitada, InLove09, marauders rox, Joanna, Florentine the Great, and especially xmisundazt00d (Lol I'm glad to hear you squealed with joy!), silverlovedragoness (Zipping Wowsers? I couldn't stop laughing when I read that!), and mrivera (Always glad to have a new reader)._

_Comment: The memory was awesome...it sort of reminded me of that battle scene in POTC: At World's End. If you drew inspiration from that, well done, you made it your own and just as suspenseful! -ChocolateVeela_

_A lot of you mentioned that the wedding scene reminded them of the nuptials from Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End, and I should say that it definitely brought along the inspiration. I think I mentioned it a few chapters back that I was inspired, by that movie so yes, it definitely played a roll. However, this sort of wedding scene has been done in many other movies and books as well. Look to some old classic films and stories and I think you may see this come up every once in a while._

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**I Could Get Used to This - Chapter 14**

Draco Malfoy sat at his kitchen table contently, a cup of tea sitting between his warm hands. His mind replayed the prior night over and over again, slowing down on some of his more favorite parts. Their snog session certainly appeased him for the time being. Along with frantic, passionate kisses, Hermione allowed him to sweep over her body with his hands, feeling the soft flesh he'd gone so long without. Great things don't last forever so naturally it ended before any true coupling could begin, but Draco hadn't complained. Having her, even for the briefest of times, gave him something much more than just physical satisfaction.

It gave him hope.

His first instinct that night was that her memory had returned - that his wife finally came to her senses and realized she missed the physical aspect of their relationship. Slapping himself inwardly for being such a guy (only a guy would first think of sex if the situation had been reversed), he realized afterward that Hermione merely felt like kissing him.

Again, he didn't complain.

"Good morning," said a soft voice behind him, causing him to break out in a small grin. Suddenly she was next to him, sweeping down to kiss his cheek and then pulling out the usual chair across from him.

"Hey," he murmured, making a face to himself when she looked away. _Hey? Oh Draco, you old dog, you. Why don't you give her a thumbs up while you're at it, _he thought, annoyed with himself._ Idiot..._

"You suddenly look peaky," she noted, smiling slightly as she sipped the cup of tea Draco had charmed for her.

"I'm alright," he murmured, taking another gulp of his hot morning brew. He looked up, their eyes locking for a moment, giving him a moment to breathe in her lovely face. He always thought she looked beautiful in the morning, bed-head everywhere, eyes half-lidded in the attempt to still wake up. He reminded himself of her mental age and sighed, leaning on his elbows to lift his cup.

Both of them turned their heads when they heard the pitter-patter of their children's footsteps, the two sounding like they were in a race—

"I'm gonna win!"

"No, I'yam!"

"Oh no..." sighed Draco, rising to his feet. Hermione stood up after him, walking out of the kitchen to see the problem he already predicted. Hermione about had a heart attack when she saw little Bailey start to fall down the fourth stair, his face about to land on the hardwood floor. Draco, thank Merlin, already arrived and clasped the back of his shirt, holding the small child up in the air; safe.

"Roxanne, what have I told you about this?!" he roared, his tone filled with anger and worry. The little girl stared at him, wide-eyed and abruptly pallid, her brown hair falling around her head in silky curls. Biting her lip, she appeared to mule over the thought, thinking better than answering her fuming father.

Draco continued, "Your mother and I have told you _countless_ times to NOT run down the stairs and yet you continue to do so. What would have happened had we not heard you, huh? What would have happened if your brother fell? Do you even realize how hurt he could have been? How hurt YOU could have been had you fallen?!"

Roxy dropped her father's gaze, a few tears already drizzling from her icy eyes. Draco turned his focus off the girl and turned toward her brother, the child's eyes just as wide as his sister's previously were. "And what have I told you, young man? Your mother and I have also told you about what could happen if you fall. Why didn't you ask for help coming down the stairs?"

The boy gulped visibly, turning from his father to his sister, her face unreadable by the tears and line of her downward eyesight.

"I asked you a question, Bailey," said Draco, his voice not as harsh, calmed from the concern of his children's welfare, yet still exhibited a firm fatherly tone.

Bailey looked down, blond hair sweeping his face and hiding his eyes. He finally mumbled, again lisping on the 's', "Sowry, papa."

Draco let out a heavy sigh, looking away from his son to check on his daughter, the girl's eyes still leaking tears. His eyes lifted up to see Hermione, a tiny smirk on her lips, one letting him know (he could tell) she supported him.

"Give your papa a hug," he muttered softly.

Bailey leaned in and wrapped his arms around his father's neck, gripping him tightly. The little boy sobbed for a moment, Draco shushing and patting his back, whispering, "It's alright. I just love you so much and I don't want you to get hurt. Understand?"

The boy nodded and Draco put him down, him running over to clutch Hermione's leg. As she bent down to pick him up, he tugged at his daughter's hand, pulling her to him. Dropping to a knee, he lifted up her chin with his hand, forcing her to look at him. "I love you, Roxy. You know I don't do it to be mean, but I...I just don't want you to get hurt."

"I know. I'm sorry, daddy," she whispered sadly. Scrubbing her arm across her eyes and sniffy meekly, Draco pulled her into a hug. She, too, cried in earnest for a moment before Draco picked her up and carried her into the kitchen, Hermione and Bailey in tow. They sat the children down at their usual spots and the two started to straighten up, wiping their faces with their nightwear.

"Now, what do you two want for breakfast?" asked Hermione, lightening the mood. Bailey responded immediately, shouting out 'pancakes!', a happy smile already on his face while a more a somber Roxy nodded in agreement. Draco flicked his wand and the necessities required for preparing the dish pulled themselves out, scattered in order on the counter.

"Who is going to help me?" asked Draco, looking to his children. "Bailey?"

"Yeah!" he yelled, raising a hand and smiling big. Draco nodded and looked to his daughter, her gaze still down.

"Roxy?"

"Okay," she consented, getting up from the table to walk to her father, him placing an arm on her shoulder.

Before long, all three of them were laughing like children (_Well, at least two have an excuse_, giggled Hermione) and Hermione set their table. _So this is what it's like, _thought Hermione contently_; this is the normal family that I have with normal things to do and normal parental problems. I think I could get used to this._

0000000

"Hermione," began Draco, his arm comfortably wrapped around her as they watched their children play together in the backyard, "I uh...what caused you to kiss me last night? I can't imagine you _just felt like it._"

Hermione smiled, her hand landing on his leg as she replied, "I um...I don't know. The memory I had was er...nice and I felt like kissing you. In answer to your question, I did _just feel like it._"

Draco chuckled, running his free hand through his hair.

"Why did you think I did it?" she asked cheekily, obviously wanting to embarrass him for his wrong thoughts.

"Temporary insanity?"

Hermione burst out laughing, falling down into the grass they were seated in, her hands coming up to shade her face. Draco smiled, dropping down next to her, silently staring at her laughing form.

"You're so beautiful," he whispered, running his hands across her hair. She faced him, her smile dwindling to a more awe-like glow, a bashful side of her erupting.

"It's funny," she murmured, licking her lips, nearly causing Draco to groan at the simple yet completely amatory act; "you've probably said that a thousand times to me, yeah?" He nodded to which she said, "I just...it feels like the first time for me. I don't think I want to trade that."

Draco smiled slowly, brushing his finger over her forehead, sliding it down across her eye and over her nose, settling it to the side, cupping her face. He lifted up and brought himself down, meeting her lips in a soft, almost tentative kiss; the kind of kiss young lovers share. Hermione responded wholeheartedly, lifting her hands up his face to graze into his hair, tugging loosely at his silvery locks. She nearly moaned when she felt him nip at her bottom lip, biting it sensually and subsequently sucking on the swollen flesh...

"EWWWW!" cried two voices in unison, both high-pitched and sharp.

Draco broke off from her lips, leaning into her neck and letting out a whinge, one of acute displeasure. Hermione ran her hands over his shoulders, a soothing gesture, as she laughed.

"Yucky!" yelled Roxy, making a gagging noise from where she and the toddler stood.

"Yeah, bucky!" seconded Bailey.

Draco sat up and rolled off Hermione, sitting with his back hunched and his legs sprawled out. Crossing his arms, looking like a child himself, he said, "Your mother and I were enjoying ourselves and yet you two always ruin our fun!"

"You were being yucky!" said Roxy, shaking her head at him.

"Why don't you two scat?" he asked, his children laughing as they threw themselves down by their parents. Draco tickled the both of them, their giggles echoing over the Malfoy property much to their parent's pleasure. "I'll teach you to laugh at your dad!"

"We're sorry, dad!" cackled Roxy, attempting to pry her father's hand away from her ticklish sides.

Bailey managed to get up and dove on his mother, allowing her to protect him. Hermione turned a mock glare on Draco, scowling, "How dare you hurt my babies?! I have a few things to say about that!"

"Oh yeah? What's that?" taunted Draco, winking at her mischievously.

Hermione pulled her kids close and whispered in their ears. Draco raised his eyebrows then narrowed them into slits, waiting for what they had up their sleeves. Finally, Bailey and Roxy lifted up and nodded vigorously, playfully glaring at their father.

"What are you lot thinking?" he asked suspiciously.

"ATTACK!"

All at once, Hermione and their children jumped on Draco, tickling him with just as much fervor as he had them. Draco laid back and though not nearly as ticklish as them (the kids got their ticklish flesh from Hermione), he laughed and pretended to be mad with funny discomfort to placate them.

"Stop, stop...please!" he begged, Bailey and Roxy's laughs drowning out his pleas. Hermione finally leaned back and chuckled as she watched them, finding the scene adorable. _Yeah, _she thought, _I could get used to this._

Roxy and Bailey appeared to finally have their fill and left to chase after more butterflies flying through the meadow. Draco remained on his back, his breathing heavy and laughter still bubbling over. Hermione leaned over his body, ceasing his chuckles and nearly halting his breathing altogether. His hand came up to cup her flushed cheek, making her close her eyes and merely feel him hold her.

"It feels like I get to fall in love with you all over again," he breathed, watching as she opened her eyes, tears starting to dwell. "I know I wouldn't trade that."

Hermione let out a gasp of sheer awe before she bent down and kissed him with more passion than before. Much to her like, the kids suddenly found themselves interested in Draco's broom which, coincidently, somehow managed to fly out of their house and into the area...far away from the couple...

She pretended to not notice Draco's wave of the hand before he continued to get lost in their kiss.

0000000

Their kisses resumed, more so even, once Roxanne and Bailey were safely put to bed. Draco tucked in the latter while Hermione tucked in the former, staying to read (apparently her favorite book no less) _Alice in Wonderland_, a classic muggle fairytale. The little girl fell asleep to the sound of her mother's soothing voice and allowed Hermione to shut the door feeling her daughter completely out of harm's way. She never imagined, up until that point, how much worrying came with being a parent.

Hermione found him already in the room and preparing for bed, crawling beneath the soft covers as she walked in. She quickly groomed herself - brushed her teeth, washed her face, and brushed out her soft hair - and then joined him, allowing him to pull the duvet around them both.

They faced each other, simply staring for a long while, drinking in the other's appearance. Draco leaned on his left elbow and traced her arm with his right, moving over every curve he loved so well.

"Merlin, you're too beautiful," he whispered, letting his hand dwell on her shoulder.

Hermione smiled prettily as she cupped his face and pulled his lips to hers, kissing him fervently, getting lost in his touch...

"_Are you two ever going to stop?" asked Blaise, rolling his eyes at the couple sitting across from him._

_Draco and Hermione's lips had been sealed together since they'd been placed in the questioning room, their bodies meshed together in the stands supported by tall white pillars. Draco's hands were virtually all over her, tugging at both flesh and clothing, finding the offending materials a hazard. Hermione's hands moved back and forth from fisting in his hair to clutching his neck, her fingers digging into his skin. They switched angles, their tongues brushing against each other's sensually, making Hermione moan into his mouth._

"_For Merlin's sake, stop! Don't you think other people may be watching?" asked Ginny, sitting next to Blaise with the same look of disgust and amusement._

_Draco reluctantly tore his lips away and faced them as Hermione ducked her head down, sucking at his neck with acute interest. Draco sighed, his hands still clenching her shirt, as he murmured, "I'm trying to enjoy my _wife_ and you two prats keep interrupting us. Do you mind?"_

"_Do we mind?" cried Ginny outraged, beginning to stand up. "I'll show y—"_

"_Easy there, tiger," said Blaise with a smirk, pulling her back down._

_Draco and Hermione resumed their kissing, deeper and more intense than before. Draco dipped her down on the bench which allowed her to wrap a leg around his waist, him groaning all the while._

"_Ahem," cleared a deep voice followed by the sound of doors slamming._

_Blaise and Ginny jumped up and stood at attention, their heads bowed momentarily at Vance McMagic, Minister of Magic. Four ministry members stood behind him, their eyes surreptitiously glancing at the couple still locked in a steamy embrace._

"_Excuse me," he growled toward Draco and Hermione, huffing at their lack of respect and inappropriate conduct._

_Hermione suddenly felt her hair getting tugged and not Draco's tug for that would have felt good. This tug pinched her scalp allowing her to recognize Ginny's signal - she often did something like that when trying to get the girl's attention. Hermione sat up and saw everyone staring at them while Draco continued to tug at her untidy blouse._

"_Draco, love—" she managed in between his smoldering kisses—"I think (-kiss!-) we need to uh (-kiss!-) s-stop for a moment cause (-kiss!-) we have another (-kiss!-) audience."_

_Draco gave her one more kiss before he looked up and sure enough, several Ministry members stood their with expressions of antipathy. He smirked, pulling himself up and smiling as Hermione hastily tidied her shirt, buttoning up the many he managed to get undone. Once she felt presentable she leaned back into him, he wrapping his strong arms around her._

"_Thank you for kindly joining us," hissed McMagic, furiously annoyed at the two. Hermione bit her lip while Draco chuckled, earning him an elbow in the stomach from his wife._

"_Now," began the Minister again, "what exactly happened at Miss Granger's h—"_

"Mrs. Malfoy_ you mean," interjected Draco, granting him a glare from the Minister and a kiss from Hermione._

"_Fine. What exactly happened at Mrs. Malfoy's home though I don't know why I have to say that given your marriage is obviously not legal?!"_

_Blaise and Ginny abruptly began telling the tale, taking turns explaining everything and filling in parts the other might have missed. Hermione and Draco listened without truly paying attention, far too wrapped up with the other to care. Ginny finally finished explaining how they'd managed to thwart off the new death eaters and stunning three to boot! However, they unfortunately had to tell the Minister that about ten managed to get away much to their dismay._

"_You didn't see their faces?" asked an official._

"_No, but we can assure you we know who they are," fired Blaise, determined to get that Parkinson bitch put in Azkaban. "We went to school with them and—"_

"_It's all circumstantial, I'm afraid," muttered McMagic gravely; "we can't detain them if you don't know for sure."_

"_But we do!" argued Ginny, tears of frustration rising to her eyes. Blaise wrapped an arm around her which, surprising the other couple sitting across from them, she not only accepted but leaned in to._

"_I feared this possibility. Others were bound to try and finish the work of He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named."_

"_They're playing the part of villain," muttered Hermione, hugging Draco and snuggling up to his chest._

"_Pardon?"_

"_Listen," she said, sitting up and looking the Minister straight in the eye, "I fought in the war. I fought in the war and I was one of the few people who witnessed everything on that battlefield. Furthermore, I happened to be one of the three whose wands managed to destroy the Dark Lord. I know the ways of death eaters like the back of my hand and trust me...these were merely a bunch of kids playing combat. They're no more death eaters than I am and I can assure you that they will not finish what Voldemort tried to."_

"_Be that as it may, Miss Gr—Malfoy, but it's clear they're taking themselves seriously, yeah? That letter certainly demonstrates their will to end you and those who defied the dark arts."_

"_Then what are we going to do?" asked Blaise, still rubbing Ginny's shoulder soothingly._

"_You four will do nothing right now," said McMagic firmly. "I think you all need protection right now and a place of seclusion so—"_

"_My home," muttered Draco._

_The Minister sneered, obviously finding Draco's interjection not only annoying but trying, and he seemed to also find this suggestion ludicrous. _

"_I only say that considering nobody knows where it is, I assure you. I've kept the location of my home under the greatest discretion and for the time being I feel it will work out splendidly. It's more than enough to accommodate the four of us."_

"_You actually think we want to be around you two when you're off shagging every hour?" asked Blaise bluntly, Hermione giggling at his question._

_Draco shrugged and replied, "We'll cast silencing charms."_

"_Where is this home?" asked the Minister suspiciously._

"_Precisely where I left it," said Draco cheekily, "and I plan on keeping the location a secret even from the likes of you. I assure you that we'll all be perfectly find there. Now, we only came here for two reasons. One pertains to what just occurred since we felt you needed to know about the incident in hopes of putting a stop to others. I doubt Blaise and I are the only two who received letters. Two pertains to making this marriage legal. I don't suppose you have a minister on hand to quickly preside and then sign the marriage papers, do you? I hope to have them sealed by magic tonight. As you can tell...we're both anxious to uh...get home and finish—"_

"_I'll have someone brought up," said the McMagic quickly, Draco smiling all the while as Hermione tugged at his earlobe, making the situation even more uncomfortable for those present._

_After another hasty connubial, this one legal, and promptly signed papers, Draco and Hermione returned to Draco's home - Hermione's home now, too - along with Blaise and Ginny. The latter two were inside preparing some drinks while Hermione and Draco sat on the back balcony, their eyes gazing up the stars. _

"_There's your namesake," she whispered, pointing to the Draco constellation which barely flickered in the night sky, terribly faint with the lack of light._

"_You're right, as usual," he muttered, leaning in to trace kisses along her neck and rub his hands along her sides. She smiled and leaned into him, allowing him to fidget with her clothing, evidently having more thoughts about the later evening on his mind._

"_Draco we can't. We promised we'd share a drink with them before we um...well I allowed you to complete your husbandly duties."_

"_Trust me when I say I will complete them and complete them well," he growled, kissing her deeply, his tongue probing her mouth. She could feel his fingers tracing 'I love you' on her back nearly causing her to groan at the sensation. Merlin, did she love this man. Her everything. Her husband._

_Suddenly a flash erupted and Hermione and Draco turned to see a smiling Ginny holding a wizarding-camera, Blaise behind her grinning suggestively._

"_Don't you think you two could stop for five minutes? I mean you have the rest of your lives," said Ginny, her and Blaise taking seats in the other two chairs on the balcony. _

"_Yeah, you dope," muttered Blaise, though unlike before his voice held only amusement._

"_I can't help it," replied Draco, grinning like a fool when Hermione nipped at his neck; "she's gorgeous and I personally can't wait to finish this bloody drink so I can shag her senseless. I'm sorry, but you both will leave the second we're done."_

"_Yeah, yeah," murmured Blaise._

_Hermione laughed as she took a sip of champagne, the four of them toasting the new marital status of the Malfoys. They chatted for a while before Blaise and Ginny retired to separate rooms upstairs while Hermione and Draco christened their new marriage bed. Much to Blaise's relief, they cast a silencing charm before engaging into anything serious..._

"The picture!"

Draco bolted up from his sleep and fell off the bed, startled by the unexpected and frantic screaming of his wife. Hermione leaned over his side and looked down, her eyes still wide and breath erratic from the memory which came to her.

"I get it!" she told him, a smile on her face.

"Get what?" he growled in confusion, rubbing his head where he had smacked it on the side table.

"I get what you were talking about with the picture. It's the same one, yeah?"

Draco sighed and shook his head, blinking once, and then twice, in an attempt to wake up and shed the remnants of his rather pleasant dream. He finally murmured, "Hermione, I love you. I really do, but I have no idea what in the hell you're talking about and I'm not particularly happy having you yell at me when I'm in the dark. Care to enlighten me?"

"It's the picture. Everything you said came true and it was true! I saw it and...it was perfect. I never knew it could be, but it was," she rambled, talking more to herself than to him. Draco rubbed his face in frustration, his bum sore from landing in a heap on the floor. She continued, finding nothing amiss to him, "I didn't want to believe you, but I do now. I do...come on!"

She threw off the sheet and dropped to the floor, sprinting to the door before Draco could even comprehend what was occurring.

"Hermione!"

He hopped to his feet and ran after her, listening to her footsteps take the stairs swiftly and turn around the foyer. Draco raced to keep up and stopped, panting like a madman, when he found her in the south end of the manor, the room next to the back deck. Her eyes were on a particular picture he happened to love and suddenly everything she said made sense.

"That was the day of our...you remembered that?" he asked flabbergasted.

Nodding and smiling, she turned to him and jumped in his arms, kissing him deeply and ramming him back to land on the couch.

"You uh...I...the honeymoon...and—"

"Screw that honeymoon," she suggested, lifting her eyebrows, "I think we should have a new one right now."

Draco grinned before he pulled her down and kissed her deeply. Hermione had the feeling he liked the idea.

* * *

_A/N: Not a favorite chapter of mine, but an important one. I did enjoy the flashback scene, but all in all, it's a filler chapter, I know. Anyway, hate to break it, but even more bad news is about to come for our lovely couple. Not all great things can last forever, yeah? Even Draco said so in this chapter._

_I haven't started the next chapter yet, but I shall soon and hopefully get it posted for you guys ASAP._

_READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it._

_A Dream Worth Keeping is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	15. Hermione's Diary

_A/N: Alright, well, um...not only did I have a difficult time rewriting this (I've been working on this chapter like crazy for the last two days), but I had a tough time figuring out where to take it. A few people mentioned how they didn't like my last chapter and I_ definitely did _take that into account for this chapter. However, please inform me next time (since as I mentioned - several of you made that comment) what it is that you didn't like about it - this allows me to assess the problem and perhaps change it. I figured (and I hope I'm correct here) that it had to do with the style as opposed to plot - maybe? I know I've kind of lost sight of what originally drew people into this story - the vivid descriptions. So, all that said, I tried to focus in on that again for this chapter. I hope that those who hated the last chapter will enjoy this one :)_

_Special thanks to: AnasellaEmm, Rashel Quinn, blulioness, waffenmac, moonkazoo, MsRisa, twin-v, cemicool, dynonugget, broadwaychick07, naufdude, cmtaylor531, mentarisenja, bluebaby3296, fallen2302, SquishyGirl, Shdwcat27, Munchkin91, DRACOSGiRLxx, tigger2025643119, weetzielovexx, xxDracoDragonxx, SnowWind, Lala, Marjorie, princess246, Chelsae33, slytherinfox, Boricuamami1987, Izzy92, Ledophole, mary-pi, Aisling Malfoy, and silverlovedragoness (read my A/N at the bottom), xmisundazt00d (I'm grateful you understand the value of a GREAT, **thorough **review!), and moxicrimefighter (LOLED - it's my new favorite word!). _

_Also, special thanks to those who wished me good luck over the flashdrive situation: Izzy92, XxstarrlighttxX, moonkazoo, Munchkin91, bluebaby3296, dreamingdarling, keske, Joanna Wang, meg, Rashel Quinn, marci16, weetzielovexx, mentarisenja, and Florentine the Great. I appreciate it you guys (since I feel like a dolt for not mentioning it wasn't necessary). Since many of you are regular reviewers, please submit an anon. review, but with your regular login-names. I'd really love to know what you all think! **Your opinions matter to me...**_

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**Hermione's Diary - Chapter 15**

Had someone walked into their home and seen them together for the last few weeks, unknowing of their current circumstances, they would probably not think twice to something amiss. Hermione and Draco appeared just as normal, loving, and dedicated to each other as always. Their relationship seemed calm and cool, per their usual, and their children were just as polite and well-mannered as they regularly were.

So what was the problem?

A sour change altered the Malfoy household the week prior and not only had the Malfoy marriage suffered, but the relationship with the children as well.

The frustration of not having her memories started to take a toll on her. Someone facing an even bigger dilemma was her husband, Draco, who happened to both desperately love and miss his true wife. The problem started to get the better of him to the point where his children not only saw his suffering but often times bore the brunt of it. There had been various occasions when he lashed out at Roxy, promptly causing her to burst into tears, or he ignored Bailey, making tears fall from his eyes just like his older sister. Hermione tried to comfort them, but damn it - they weren't her own children! Her knowledge of them began and ended from the little time they'd shared together. She didn't know the little things their mum (for at this point Hermione called her older-self their mum, feeling she earned a separate title since she was an entirely different person) knew. She didn't know how to make them feel better when they scraped their knees other than a healing spell. She didn't know that 'special way' to tie their shoes or their favorite story of Hermione's childhood. She didn't know! Their _mum _did. Sure, their mother knew all those answers like the back of her hand. Their mum knew to sing to them whenever they got hurt, especially the 'itsy-bitsy-spider', a muggle favorite they'd grown to appreciate. She knew to tie their shoes using the method her own mum used on her as a child - the 'one-two-three, catch the string!' rhyme. She also knew their favorite story about her childhood was about her mishap with the polyjuice potion in her second year. Roxy and Bailey giggled like no tomorrow when their mum recounted the story of how she made a crucial mistake and ended up with a furry tail and long whiskers. Their _mum_ knew this.

Hermione, the present Hermione, didn't know a damn thing.

And it was driving her bonkers!

Plus, the strain of Draco's short temper also put a burden on her. He attempted, of course, to maintain composure to the best of his abilities, but damn if he didn't lose his cool every now and then. He often times growled at her over something, be it the smallest thing. He found things to nitpick over, things that normally would never have caused stress for such a simple man. He just wasn't Draco. He wasn't Roxy and Bailey's papa. He wasn't the husband of Hermione Granger.

Blaise, who currently stood before him, realized that Draco had completely and utterly and hopelessly lost it.

"Draco, what in the hell is wrong with you?" he growled, sneering at the man's idiotic attempt to lose himself in his sorrow.

"I can't do this anymore, Blaise. I can't!" he screamed hoarsely, his bloodshot eyes falling on the other man's feet; "I tried to deal with her. I tried to pretend nothing was wrong and yet she still remained who she was! I thought that maybe...I got false hope, I guess..."

"What do you mean?" asked Blaise in a calmer voice.

Shaking his head, Draco muttered, "I got my hopes up. I made a mistake and got my bloody hopes up the other day when she woke me up. You see...the memories are coming back and I mistook that for her entire memory returning. The way she spoke...going on about our honeymoon and such...for a moment...I truly thought I had her back. And...And I kissed her like I kiss my wife."

"She is your wife, mate."

"No, that woman is _not_ Hermione. _That_ is a scared, little _girl_ trying to figure out what in the hell she was thinking in the future. Why in the fuck would she marry someone like me?"

"Oh shit..."

_He's not Draco, _thought Blaise gravely. _The poor bloke has finally given up on himself and realized he can't be Draco without her. Oh Merlin..._

Not just in his words, but in body seeing as Draco looked like he had when Hermione initially had been in the hospital. Normally, when he and Hermione were the picture perfect couple, Draco more or less portrayed a man of distinguishment and prestige. At the present time, Draco looked like the guy just stepped off a broom which traveled from Brazil to London: hair askew, clothes wrinkled and uncoordinated, casual as well, and thick stubble, the kind Hermione _hated_, growing all over his chin. What startled Blaise the most, though, was the frown. The man had not shown off his pearly whites in months and he began to wonder whether or not he'd plain knocked them out, a fit of rage so overwhelming. He may exaggerate, but in all honesty, the man wasn't Draco.

Blaise didn't know what to say, to think, or even to feel. Draco and Hermione had been together for years, blissfully happy and though cautious, they managed to find a way to live their lives without the hassles which should have plagued them. Yet, all of it left Draco like a bottle at sea, floating further and further away, Hermione inside. Shaking his head and realizing he'd read Roxy_ Alice in Wonderland_ far too many times over the years babysitting, he took in a deep breath and relaxed, knowing rationality generally worked with the Malfoys.

"Mate, I know it's tough and I know you're sick to death of hearing that, I know—" he added quickly, seeing the flash of red in Draco's tired eyes—"but you've got...you've got to start facing facts. Truth is...we don't know if we'll ever get Hermione back and you've got to come to terms with that."

Shaking his head, once, very quickly - back and forth anxiously - Draco muttered viciously, "I can't let her go and don't you dare say that to me again, Zabini. I can't! I don't want to..."

_Zabini, _thought Blaise with lifted eyebrows_, oh fuck. He only uses the last name when he is truly and completely pissed. Fuck..._

"Drake I know...I know you don't want to, but it may not be your choice. If Hermione doesn't...you may need to let her go, mate. I say this to you as someone who loves her as well. Trust me, I-I don't want to let go either, but again, it isn't really our choice." Blaise dropped his gaze, swallowing hard and wishing he could take Ginny in his arms right then.

"I can't...c-cant let her go," whispered Draco sadly.

0000000

Hermione sat on her bed - her and Draco's bed - and stared at the small, maroon and gold book at her feet. She'd been staring at it for over an hour, long after Draco left to see his best friend.

Staring, but not reading.

The book in question possessed wondrous qualities which distinguished it to represent Hermione. For it was not a book, but a diary.

The diary was about the size of a personal organizer, thick and rich with pages, but small enough to carry around in a purse or maybe even in a large jacket pocket. Made of a beautiful, silky material she didn't quite recognize, it felt as though during binding someone covered it with feathers before wrapping it in the honeyed mohair, sealing the fluff inside. The coloring consisted of a deep, garnet maroon and metallic gold, the former covering the diary as a whole. The gold color acted as the lettering, an elegant, old-fashioned scripture curving and hi-lighting the words on the cover reading 'Hermione, the Gryffindor Princess'. She'd been given it as a gift from Harry, his last gift to her in fact. He'd had it made for her as a present on her birthday, one they never shared - he'd been killed in the climax of the battle about a month prior. She'd discovered it in an old box as she sorted out his possessions that were left to her...

"_Are you sure you're ready to do this?" asked Lupin, concern etched on his mangled face as well as the tone of his voice. "There is no need to rush this, you know?"_

_Hermione stared at the room filled with tattered brown boxes covered in layers of filthy dust. Most were stacked on each other, a snake-like pathway around the room to allow someone to enter and pilot through. The smell of the prior occupants still lingered faintly, of quidditch leathers and dirty socks. She could practically hear her own voice chastising them about the smell, urging them to clean up the messy room. She'd give anything to have that strong scent back._

"_Hermione, you just got back. Perhaps you should take some more time and allow yourself to grieve for them before..." Lupin broke off, knowing his words weren't even registering to the girl._

"_Do you think their old jerseys are in here?" she asked, to herself just as much as him. "I stole one of Ron's a while back to wear at the Burrow cause Crookshanks clawed my pajamas. He laughed at me when I wore it since it obviously wasn't made for someone my size. I uh...I love that jersey."_

_Her voice held such sorrow and depression that Lupin wondered whether or not she should do this at all, whether he should stop her and pull her out before the former happiness in the room sucked her soul out. The airy, woeful voice sounded like it belonged to a despondent Luna Lovegood. Lupin also noticed a somnolent quality - she was tired. Well, the poor dear had the right to be._

"_Um...do you uh...want me to help you with this?" he asked tentatively. "I don't mind—"_

"_I think I'll look through the boxes in the back first, by their beds. They generally kept the things they needed by their beds," she whispered, brushing off Lupin's question. _

_He took the hint, knowing she HAD to do this by herself, put a hand on her shoulder in a kind, comforting gesture, and then left her standing in the doorway. Hermione heard his footsteps eventually die down, the echos of the stairway letting her know she alone stood on the second floor of Grimmauld Place. _

_When their adventure to end Voldemort began, Harry, Ron, and Hermione all had their possessions sent to the former House of Black. Feeling the Burrow already held too many family items, they felt it a proper solution to simply send it to Harry's house to sort out after they ended Voldemort. Hermione's things were in the room Ginny and her shared during their regular stays there while Ron and Harry's remained in their bedroom, stacked and messily scattered about the room._

_Sucking in a deep breath of stale air, Hermione stepped into the room, the mushy carpet squeaking beneath her boots. _

_The boxes brushed against her black shirt, dust fibers clinging to the soft cloth. Hermione didn't bother brushing any off knowing she'd probably collect more, be covered in fact, by the time she finished. The noise of wind blowing outside the window kept her company as she managed to step around the trail-way of boxes, Harry and Ron's beds finally coming into view. _

_Harry's bed stood half-hazardously made, the pillows and covers clearly put on in haste. She could see the blue sheets tucked under the mattress in a half-ass fashion, practically begging to get tugged on by the numerous pieces sticking out. The pillows were indented and creased meaning..._

"_Harry was the last one there..."_

_Turning away, tears burning her eyes and blurring her vision, she pulled herself together to look in the direction of Ron's bed. His wasn't even made, the covers thrown off and the pillows lain lopsidedly, the sheets tangled at the base. She imagined Harry putting his bed together while Ron simply rolled out, stretching, and walking away, not giving the untidy bed a second glance. _

_Again, tears nearly blinded her while the memories of them in the room tugged at her heart._

_Shaking her head to clear the thoughts, she turned her attention to the boxes before her. Cracking her knuckles the way Ron taught her years prior, she took another deep breath and pulled one of the boxes toward her._

_She read the top of the box and smiled at Ron's jumbled handwriting, tracing over the words 'Ron's wealth'. Hermione felt the indentation on the 't' where his quill poked a hole. Sighing and wiping her forehead with the back of her forearm, Hermione lifted the shabby lid to find the container filled with his quidditch gear. She managed to let out a small chuckle as she filtered through, the leathers tarnished and grimy yet very usable. _

"_Ron, you fool. Only you would think of your stupid quidditch stuff as wealth," she whispered, speaking like he stood right beside her._

_Closing up the box and pushing it aside, her stomach tight with the knowledge of knowing he'd never use that equipment again, she pulled out one which read 'Harry's stuff', his writing slanted and arched, a very masculine form of cursive. She traced over the words as she'd done with Ron's, feeling no indentations, only ink against the rough surface. She pulled the flap open of the muggle packing box, ones she herself used as opposed to the magical ones Ron packed his things in (which were precisely why the inside held his gear in an organized setting). Harry's things were roughly put in like he just randomly placed objects inside and not caring which things in particular. Pushing his possessions around and trying to file them to a degree, she came across a litter of different items - a coat hanger, a rolled up sock, a Honeydukes ordering catalogue, a rusty lighter, a package for Hermione, an old—_

"_A package for Hermione? What in the world is this?" she asked herself, the wind outside drowning out the silence after her voice ceased._

_Hermione held in her hands a badly wrapped gift with her name on it. The wrapping paper was of faded _Daily Prophets_, all torn and nipped in a few areas. The present appeared to have been wrapped with care by Harry standard - it had a bow and everything! Well, ignoring that the bow was made up of a shoelace, it seemed he really put some effort in it._

_Hermione thought for a moment about this. Everything in the room was hers now and the gift would have been hers anyway even if he didn't d—_

_Trying to stop her terrible thoughts, she pulled the shoelace out of the loop and ripped open the paper where she found a small, maroon book with gold writing._

"_Hermione...the Gryffindor Princess," she muttered, her small fingers filing over the scripture._

_Suddenly, a tatty note fell out from inside the book and landed in her lap. Slipping the book beneath her arm, she unfolded the small letter and read:_

Hermione,

Ha! I finally didn't wait until the last minute to go shopping and I would like to make it clear to you just how difficult you are to shop for. That aside, I found this journal and thought it would be perfect for you. It's March! I know you're smiling right now _(she wasn't_) because you're proud and you damn well should be. Never say again that I wait until the last bloody minute!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

-Harry

P.S. The photo inside is charmed to the cover so you'll never lose it. I thought it seemed fitting considering what I titled it. Happy writing, Hermione.

_Hermione slowly lowered the letter back down, Harry's voice still lingering in her mind. She'd heard him. She'd heard him clear as spring water. Yet he wasn't there to give her this gift. He wasn't there to witness her astonishment (for she marveled by what the letter claimed though she didn't outwardly show it and it was the last thing on her mind) as she opened it and thanked him and he accepted her hug and she hugged Ron too and got an earful from the redhead about raising the cauldron too high and..._

_She returned her attention back to the diary and lifted the cover, her eyes darting to the picture Harry said would be inside. _

"_Merlin...Oh Harry..."_

_The photo had been taken a year before they died, long before Harry and Ron knew of their impending demises. They stood beside the black lake, Harry and Ron on the ground lying on their backs with Hermione standing tall and proud between them. Her left foot stood lodged on Ron's belly, who happened to be making a 'dying' face though a grin was present, and she pointed her wand at Harry making the same stupid face Ron had plastered on himself. Hermione's grin was from ear to ear and she allowed her right hand to alternate between blowing kisses and flipping her hair, playing hero for the moment. _

_The picture had been meant as a joke, to make her laugh, and remember all the silly times they had together; to show her off as the Gryffindor Princess. Her reaction, however, was nothing short of disgusted fury. The sight of them - PRETENDING TO BE DEAD - ripped her heart in a dozen pieces._

"_Harry...R-Ron..."_

_She couldn't stop them. The tears, the fat, helpless tears cascaded down her face in sync with the sobs wracking her body. Savagely Kicking the box and leaping on Harry's bed still clutching the diary, Hermione cried..._

Hermione knew the diary held significance even if she couldn't remember precisely what it was. Something about the lettering, about the title, and about the overall way she found it - sitting in a secret drawer only her wand appeared to open - told her this book held important information into the mind of Hermione Malfoy. Her conscience battled over and over whether or not it was right to read such personal things.

"Well, it is me after all, yeah?" she whispered to herself, rocking back and forth, twisting a long, thick strand of hair around her forefinger.

She could hear footsteps outside and wondered whether Draco had returned from the Zabini home. She hoped he returned in a more pleasant mood than the one he left in. Ever since she woke up a week prior and kissed him the entire night, so much that their lips ended up severely swollen and bleeding in the morning, he'd acted cold towards her, almost hostel. Hermione tried to speak with him about it by bringing it up at night, but Draco regularly turned away from her, muttering a harsh 'night' before turning off the lights.

Hermione silently cried herself to sleep the last three nights.

"Bloody hell, it's not like I'm not allowed to read something I write in the future," she hissed aloud, knowing she sounded crazy. Then it struck her - _it's not because I'm worried about permission, but about what I might read._

Taking a deep breath, Hermione reached for the small book, opened the lock by whispering, "Hermione, the Gryffindor Princess," (how she knew to do that, she couldn't say - just instinctual) held her breath, and flipped open the soft material of the front binding.

0000000

"Papa!" screeched the high-pitched voice of Draco's two-year-old son.

Draco managed a small smile and picked him up, nuzzling his son's face with his own, holding him to his chest tightly.

"I love you, B," he whispered, feeling horrible for having yelled at the tot earlier that morning. He rationally knew the boy didn't remember his father's scoldings nor did he probably remember anything beyond playing with his toy cauldron before his father stepped in the room. That didn't change Draco's resolve to apologize to his son, the one who no more deserved being yelled at than the fish swimming merrily in their creek out back. "I'm so sorry I yelled at you this morning, Bailey, I'm sorry. I love you very much, son."

"I love you, my dabby," the boy yelled, clutching his father's neck.

Draco reluctantly let go and the boy scampered off, running off to once again play in his bedroom with the house-elf Tarty. Then, he turned his attention to his daughter's room knowing she'd be more of a challenge to earn forgiveness from. Unlike his son who still hadn't developed a proper vocabulary let alone the ability to understand emotions, his daughter was already learning and well, a smart little girl on the rise. When he'd barked at her in the early morning, rage and frustration bubbling over from not having his wife, she'd lowered her head and left the room, sobs strangling in her throat.

KNOCK

KNOCK

KNOCK

"Roxy, can I come in?"

No response.

"Roxy...I know you're probably angry with me, but can I talk to you for a moment?"

No response.

Sighing, Draco pushed her door open and found her sleeping on her bed, curled up in a tight ball over the pink duvet. He walked across her soft carpet and gently sat down next to her, careful not to disturb her sleep. For a long while he just watched her, brushing back her beautiful hair and tracing her features over. Though her cheeks were covered in tear stains, he thought she was the most amazing thing he'd ever set his eyes on. _What an absolute beautiful child, _he thought proudly; _she's positively gorgeous. Merlin, I'd do anything for her. For them._

Roxy snuggled up to him, sensing his presence, wrapping an arm around him. He smiled and pulled her into his arms, content on holding his baby girl to his chest. She began to rouse from her nap and looked up at her father sleepily.

"Hey, love," he muttered, kissing the top of her head.

"Daddy?" She knuckled at her eyes, trying to wipe the sleep away.

"Yeah, honey, it's me. I wanted to talk to you about this morning," he told her, his voice quavering a bit, feeling sheepish for his abominable actions. Roxy appeared to understand and looked down and away, scared her father was still angry at her.

"I'm sorry, daddy," she muttered, practically breaking Draco's already fragile heart at her defeated voice. "Bailey and me won't play so loud next time."

"No, Rox, you were fine. I yelled at you when I shouldn't have and _I'm_ the one who is sorry. I'm really sorry, Roxanne."

He heard his daughter sniffle, wiping her nose on his sleeve while keeping her gaze away from her father. She finally muttered, "You were mad. You were really mad, daddy."

"I know and that wasn't right because I wasn't mad at you. I'm _not_ mad at you," he told her firmly.

"Are you mad at mummy?" she asked sadly.

"I don't know," he admitted, breathing deeply and pulling his daughter closer. "I don't know anymore, Roxy, but I do know that I love you very much. You're the best daughter anyone could ever have."

He felt her smile against his chest making him grin as a result. After another hug, she skipped off to join her brother and Tarty and Draco went to have a long talk with Hermione.

When he opened the doors to enter his bedroom, Draco's eyes scanned over and noticed several things in rapid succession; one: that Hermione's vanity was in complete disarray - two: she was sitting on the bed with his wife's diary in her small hands he loved so bloody much - and three: her face masked both fear and bewilderment.

Something was terribly wrong.

"Hermione?"

She met his eyes, haunted eyes, swallowed thickly, and muttered, "It's not over. I...I uh...I thought it was over."

Draco realized quickly what the words meant and stuttered, trying to find the best way to calm her, "I uh...Hermione, I—"

"It's true then, yeah? Everything I read...is true. It's not over."

_No, _he thought grimly_, it's not fucking over. Not even bloody close._

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_A/N: So was this chapter better? Rewriting this chapter actually helped the story since it sparked a better idea than the one I originally had for the next two chapters. I personally really liked this one and though it seemed a little sad and maybe even 'filling', it holds a soft spot. The flashback to Hermione finding the gift from Harry was difficult to write. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter._

_I'm sure a lot of you were expecting something crazy and I know I promised Silver some action, but PLEASE be patient for it. Now that the idea as previously mentioned before is in my head, I've got a many other ideas for that action you all seem to be craving. For those who love my fluff - more will be coming too!_

_READ AND REVIEW!! If you can read it, then you can review it._

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	16. The Dawn

_Special thanks to: Rashel Quinn, mentarisenja, xxDracoDragonxx, canary17, VampyrKFM, Erytha, adrianna100, DRACOSGiRLxx, BulletGirl2647, tigger2025643119, Boricuamami1987, Lala, marjorie, Florentine the Great, PseudonymViolist, SweetandSour246, fallen2302, Your Imperfection, MsRisa, izzy92, erica, moxicrimefighter, cmtaylor531, bookwormatcams, ebbe04, Miss-Be-Haven, naufdude, marauders rox, Bubbes, Lovewish, kate, InLove09, and especially twin-v (glad you enjoyed the cliffy!), mary-pi (Thank you for your honesty), Munchkin91 (I liked it very much, thank you), DcoD (Thank you - I appreciate your suggestions), chocolateveela (appreciate it), Joanna Wang (Your words spoke eloquently enough, thank you darling) and silverlovedragoness (lol, I know I just posted before you got back so I owe you)._

_Special thank you to **-FallenCynch16-** seeing as your review was one of the best, if not THE best, that I've_ _ever received. I was kind of down about the last few chapters, but your review gave me a new found reason to continue. Thank you so very much. Also, special thanks - and virtual hug! - to **xmisundazt00d**. Your reviews and critiques ALWAYS manage to give me a push to continue writing. Oh, and you have a very beautiful name._

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**The Dawn - Chapter 16**

"If this is true...then what the hell do we do about it?" she asked, her eyes still on the book in her lap.

Draco sighed and anxiously ran a hand through his hair, pacing the area before the bed. He said, "I don't know. I really don't know, Hermione, but I promise that you're safe. I promise that we're all safe."

"Safe?! I just read what happened to me when I had Bailey. You call that being safe?!" she asked, bellowing as loud as her throat would allow. Draco turned away and cringed, not burdening Hermione with a feeling of remorse or guilt over what she just muttered. She didn't know that incident not only plagued him with worry, but made him feel like a failure as both a husband and father.

"Hermione," he muttered through clenched teeth, "I know...I know this is difficult for you to come by, but—"

"Difficult?! Merlin, Draco, this is more than bloody difficult! I thought all of this was over. I thought you took care of it and—"

"When did I ever tell you that I took care of it? In what bloody way have I led you to think that?" he asked defensively.

"I just...I don't know. Some of the memories had me thinking that we were...beyond this?"

"Are you asking me or informing me?" he countered, concern and a little frustration making him speak harsher than he wanted to.

"I don't know. I'm sorry, I just...I thought this was over. I thought we were safe and that nobody was after us. I thought once the kids came..." she broke off, the words about what happened during her pregnancy with her second child still fresh in her mind.

"Didn't you find it odd that we keep the children on such a strict schedule that we don't allow them outside of these walls? Didn't you find it a little strange that we don't take them anywhere? Didn't you find it just a little bit off that we rarely do anything ourselves outside of this house? It's cause we can't."

Hermione wiped a tear beneath her eye and let out a small chuckle, knuckling away the other tears threatening to fall. She uttered, "I just...you always made it seem like we were happy and—"

"We ARE happy," hissed Draco, suddenly getting an overwhelming feeling; his own wife offending him.

"How can we—"

"Every couple has problems. We aren't perfect, but we're pretty close and I'm not going to keep telling you that. Look...I know you're freaked out over this and that's understandable, but we've been dealing with this for years. We know how to handle the kids and we know how to handle these people. None of them will ever get close to my family. I'll kill them if they try."

Hermione could see the protective rage flare up in the man, his own words prickling the back of his neck at just the thought of something happening to his wife or children. _He loves me. He loves us. He loves me. He loves us. He loves me. He loves us. He loves me..._

"So then...what do we do?" she asked shakily.

"We do nothing," he told her firmly. Her shake of the head alerted him she didn't understand so he continued, "We do nothing because the problem has not escalated simply because you found out. So, yes, the people who were after us initially...back when we were first married are still out there...hunting us, but that doesn't change how we've gotten by since you've woken up. Have there been any attacks on us? Any problems related to them?"

Hermione shook her head mutely.

"Exactly, which is why we're going to continue just like we have...perhaps a little tweaked."

At his last words, her head shot up forcefully. "What do you mean tweaked?"

"Well...listen, I had a long talk with Blaise and...I didn't agree with a lot of what he said. I can't agree with him and I can't..." He broke off awkwardly, frustrated he couldn't articulate himself, and restarted; "I'm going to help you remember. I don't know what I'll do exactly, but I'm going to find a way to help you."

"What did Blaise say to you? Does he not believe in me or something?" she asked, standing up from her sitting position on the bed.

Shaking his head, he told her, "No, not precisely to that degree. He just...wants me to be prepared if...if...it doesn't matter. His opinion means nothing, right? I mean with the added strain with that new baby around, he isn't himself. He is still a little _uptight_ over his new girl and I doubt we should listen to anything he says when he isn't exactly sane."

"You sound a little mad at him," she noted, standing in front of him, tall and strong, boring her eyes in his.

"Just determined to prove him wrong. Your memory will return, Hermione, I promise. I'm not going to give up on you."

0000000

Hermione retired early, deciding it'd been a long day and she wanted nothing more than to just sleep and relax. Draco, meanwhile, felt content in spending another hour with his children, the ones he'd been ignoring lately. Playing a muggle game of Candyland with the pair, one Hermione had given Roxy a year prior, he felt that sense of hope returning to him. He could get through this. They all could.

"Oh, sorry dad. You've got to go back to Candycane Lane. I bumped you!" said Roxy, a proud smile on her face.

Draco grinned, but muttered in a mock tone of hurt, "Roxy, how could you to your poor, dear old dad?"

"I'm winning!" shouted Bailey, obviously unconcerned with his sister and father's conversation. Even though he wasn't actually playing, Roxy knew to tell him he was leading the game, just like her parents always did.

"That's right. You're in first, B!"

Draco shook his head, loving his children so much. It brought back the memory when he first laid eyes on his baby girl...

"_I think I'm going to cry again," she muttered, sniffing already at the impending tears._

_Draco, who'd been reading an article about the new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher at Hogwarts, smiled, dropped the paper, and pulled Hermione into his arms._

"_I don't know why, but I'm going to cry again. Yep, I'm going to cry," she sobbed, her eyes wet, her lips trembling. _

_Draco kissed the top of her head, stroking her hair, and pulling her closer to him, allowing her to feel his presence. Whenever her bad days came, he knew just to ride it out with her or else it could end in disaster. He whispered, "It's alright, love. Cry all you want."_

"_I don't want to do this anymore. I'm sick of being fat. I'm sick of being sick. I'm sick of not sleeping with my husband. (-sniff!) I'm sick of eating all the bloody time. I'm sick of feeling useless. I'm just sick of all this! I don't want to (-sniff!) be pregnant."_

_Draco controlled himself so much in not laughing at the poor girl. He knew the second she heard something sound even remotely like a chuckle, he'd be sleeping on the couch until her hormones became too much and she waddled downstairs to sleep next to him. To alleviate his need to laugh, he told her firmly, "You need to stop this because you're perfect, alright?"_

"_Liar," she hissed._

_Sighing, he said, "I am not. Now, I need you to listen to me carefully. You're not fat. You're the most beautiful witch I've ever seen and the only thing big is your belly which is just as it should be. We've got a little girl in there so you're just the right size. Do you understand?"_

_Hermione huffed, tears falling down her cheeks, growling, "Our kid will be huge. It's all your bloody fault._

"_I take full responsibility, yes," he smirked, though he hid this from her. He continued, "Moving on, you're not sick. You got over morning sickness a while ago and now the nausea just has to do with excitement. You're fine, Hermione, I promise."_

"_Are you a healer? Are you (-sniff!) certified by the Ministry to inform me about my health? No, so shut up about that," she snarled rudely._

_He smiled, finding her positively adorable. He loved her mad, with a pink hue on her cheeks and a growl in her voice. He actually found it quite sexy and appealing. Speaking of shagging, "As for not having sex, woman please! You've been more randy these past months than you've been throughout our entire marriage and courting! Merlin, you've been jumping me all over the place. Not that I mind. On the contrary, I've been enjoying it immensely."_

_Draco, true to his words, did enjoy his wife's transforming body throughout the course of her pregnancy, especially after the fifth month. He'd wake up mornings to find her already hungry for him, lust clouding her gaze. He, of course, completed his husbandly duties by pleasing his wife every morning...and afternoon...and, well, every night she wanted some too. His favorite thing afterward had been to hold his content and sated wife, rubbing his hand over her belly, admiring the incredibly beautiful creature they created. Hermione's pregnant body appealed to him just as it normally did._

_If Hermione admitted it, she'd agree with him. She'd never felt more feminine in her life. The luscious curves she'd been born with only heightened with the increase of pregnancy hormones. Her breasts swelled about two sizes, her curves managed to curve themselves more so, and her skin positively glowed each day, even with her being three days past her due date._

"_I haven't been jumping you this past month!" she yelled, another tear slipping from her sparkling eyes. "Now I'm not only (-sniff!) fat to look at, but I'm too fat to have sex properly."_

"_Honey, when this is all over, you can jump my bones anytime you want. So, again, moving on, eating comes with a pregnancy. You're doing incredibly well, I mean, given some of the other women the healers told us about. You eat when you're hungry and don't give into everything. Healer Gordon said that was better than just feasting on every scrap in sight. You, my love, are not eating as much as you think."_

"_Maybe, but I'm still eating the weirdest things and I know you can't stand it," she whimpered, her tone choleric yet she snuggled closer to him, allowing Draco to kiss her temple and rub her shoulder anyway._

_Her comment certainly held truth the day before. Draco told her that he didn't mind preparing her dinner, but he hadn't expected her to ask for a salad drenched in coconut milk and sardines. However, her other comment had been wrong. If she wanted it and she enjoyed it, it was fine by him. He'd do whatever he could if it kept her happy. At this point, that was his only job._

"_Hermione, if you're happy than I'm happy. End of story there," he told her doggedly, giving her a gentle squeeze and tracing patterns over her swollen belly with his fingers._

"_Fine. (-sniff!) What was the last one?" she asked him, suddenly sounding pensive._

_Draco leaned into her, inwardly laughing at her short-term memory loss. For the last few months she virtually forgot everything, which he didn't mind. Shaking his head, he said, "It had to do with some preposterous notion of you being useless. Where in the name of Merlin did you come up with that one?"_

"_I haven't been able to do anything! All I do is sit here and read, (-sniff!) sleep, read some more, eat, read, and sleep. I'm like a damn mouse in a cage!"_

"_Since when did mice learn to read?" he asked teasingly._

"_Draco..." she warned, trying to pull away from him, but he didn't allow her to move an inch. "If you insist on being a prat about this then I'll just go cry in the bedroom."_

_Draco mentally slapped himself, resting his chin atop her head. He knew better than to tease her during one of her 'crying fits' she'd been having more frequently in the last month. He sighed, "Hermione, you're perfect. You're carrying my daughter and I, personally, think that job demonstrates that you're one hell of a woman. I mean, who else could not only marry me, but breed with me?"_

_As soon as the words left, he felt tension ease from her body and a small smile play at her lips. The tears still fell, but at least he'd calmed her some._

"_Love, everything is going to be alright," he assured._

_Hermione sniffed and asked, "But what if something is wrong?! I mean...Draco (-sniff!-) this damn baby should have been out three bloody days ago! (-sniff!-) What if I didn't do something right or maybe I ate something that didn't—"_

_Draco placed two fingers on her lips, effectively silencing her. Once her babbling broke off and she simply stared at him, sniffling every now and then, he reached up his hand to wipe away all her tears. "Everything is fine, I promise. We already talked with Healer Gordon and she said it was normal for someone your size during her first pregnancy to be a few days late. It's nothing unheard of or unnatural. Our baby and you are just fine. Understand?"_

_Hermione didn't answer him, but he could tell she felt satisfied and confident in what he'd told her. Kissing her head and disentangling from her, he asked, "Would you like anything? Something to drink? Eat? A book?"_

_Thinking for a moment, she finally asked, "Can you bring my book down from my night table?" _

_Draco smiled, kissed her gently on the mouth, and then walked merrily up the stairs to retrieve his wife's request. This had been his life for the last several months, ever since Hermione had been forced to leave work and rest at home. He'd taken off time himself, allowing him the pleasure of spending time with his pregnant wife. They'd enjoyed a rather splendid pregnancy period, contrary to today's episode. Hermione's body didn't ache like most, no serious back problems or skin sores, nor did she suffer from any throbbing other than in her feet. Hermione didn't endure morning sickness long, only a few weeks, and even then it didn't plague her very much. She never experienced any real problems with significant weight gain, other than in her stomach and, much to her dismay, thighs. Other than the occasional fit of hiccups and emotional breakdown, Hermione embraced her pregnancy._

_Draco helped her along the entire time, giving her the support, love, and physical comfort she needed. He rubbed her feet whenever she asked, wincing to himself just how swollen her ankles sometimes managed to get (he hated the thought of her in pain), and rubbed her back soothingly to stop her hiccups. When the rare 'bad day' came, he knew how to handle her. It only maybe happened once every few weeks and her emotions would either follow two routes: angry tears or weepy frustration, two VERY different emotional collapses he learned (he just experienced a bout of weepy frustration, thank Merlin. If it had been an angry tears day, he likely would have endured a lot more yelling). When those days came, he told her how beautiful she was, how much he loved her, how he knew she'd be a wonderful mother, and so forth. He brought her books to her whenever she wanted them, fixed her anything she asked for, and, most importantly, kissed her belly every chance he got, letting her know he also loved the little one inside her with everything in him. Yes, pregnancy agreed with him just as much as it did his wife._

_Grabbing her book, one respectively titled, _The Baby Broom: One Hundred Things to Prepare for When Having a Little Wizard or Witch_, he went back downstairs to sit with her, kissing her cheek as she snuggled back up against him. _

"_Draco?"_

"_Yeah, love?" _

"_Are you mad we're having a girl?" she asked timidly._

_He pulled back to locate her gaze, unsure why she would ask such a thing. "Of course not, Hermione. What would ever make you think that?"_

_Shrugging, she murmured, "I don't know. I just remember you being so excited that day at the healer's office. You were convinced it would be a boy."_

_Smiling, remembering the day well, one of the best days of his entire life, he told her, "It was a game, Hermione. I believe we were bantering, yeah? You were bound and determined to tell me it was a girl."_

"_I know," she whispered, forgetting about the book in her lap, "but I...I just don't want you to be mad about it being a girl. I know how you are and you want a boy so you can play quidditch together and talk girls together and...and...and do more insufferable stupid boy things to piss me off...together."_

_Laughing, he said, "Well, I fully intend on having my girl on the quidditch team. It's in her blood, my dear."_

"_I'm being serious, Draco," she informed him._

_Cupping her face with his hand, he whispered, "Love, I could never be mad about having a daughter. I'm more happy than I can voice at that prospect. I can't wait to hold my little girl."_

_Hermione, again, seemed satisfied with his answer, her eyes dancing with love and admiration at him. She continued, "Well, then I'm happy."_

"_Now wait a minute," he teased, gently lifting her chin; "just because I said I'm pleased about having a girl, and I truly am, doesn't mean I don't want a boy. You're going to have to give me a few more kids, I think. I want to have my own personal quidditch team."_

_Hermione scoffed, waving off his idea as though she thought it to be rubbish. "You and ruddy quidditch. Is that all you ever think about?"_

"_That and sex," he quipped, earning him a laugh from her. She burst into a fit of giggles, but abruptly broke off, suddenly lifting up and touching her hand to her belly._

"_What is it?" he asked nervously. "Is it the baby?"_

_Hermione, panting, nodded anxiously, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open slightly as though in shock. She whispered, "I think...I uh...Draco get me to St. Mungo's. It's time."_

"_Holy shit!" he cursed, standing to his feet and helping her up._

"_Watch your mouth, Draco," she scolded, "we don't want our baby to start picking up on bad habits before she is even bo—OOOOHHHHH." She wailed, holding onto her stomach and clutching his shoulder as he moved her toward the kitchen where the portkey had been placed. Grabbing her bag in the corner and muttering soothing nothings to her in order to keep her calm, he transported them to hospital._

_0000000_

"_Breathe, Hermione," he instructed softly, rubbing her forehead with a damp cloth. "Breathe, honey, it'll pass."_

_Hermione clamped her eyelids down as another contraction hit her, holding onto Draco for dear life and biting his shoulder every so often. Even though she knew his shoulder had to be throbbing by now, he never once said anything nor told her to stop._

"_It's going to pass, sweetheart. Just breathe with me. Feel me breathing," he whispered, taking her small, trembling hand and placing it against his chest, allowing her to feel his easy inhales and exhales. "Come on, love, breathe with me."_

"_I'm trying," she whimpered, straining to get those words voiced._

_Draco pushed back some of the tendrils sticking to her neck and forehead, doing everything in his power to make the experience more comfortable. It pained him to see her so distressed, to see her in physical agony yet he couldn't do anything to help her. He could only wait, hold her hand, and do his best to soothe her._

_After what felt like an eternity for him, Hermione let out a sigh and let her head fall back on one of her four back pillows, panting in the wake of the episode. He kissed her hand, rubbing her arm and trying to bring her focus away from the pain._

"_That one was really bad," she told him, turning toward him, biting her lip._

"_You were incredible, love. You've been amazing this whole time," he told her, pressing his lips against hers and clunking their foreheads together, his hair mixing with hers. "You're almost there, Hermione, you are. In a little while...we'll have her. We'll have our daughter."_

"_I know. I keep telling myself that, but it doesn't make this hurt any less," she sobbed, clutching him just as another contraction hit. Draco reveled in this for the healer mentioned this sort of thing happening; meant his - their - baby would soon be in the world. He couldn't help his restless leg shaking against the bed, overcome with excitement and adrenaline at the thought of his child. Hermione and him were having a baby, a girl, and he was in agony over the wait. Draco couldn't explain it, but minutes felt like hours. Thank goodness the healer came in announcing they were ready to begin the final stages of the birthing, for more than just Hermione's sake. Every scream, every cry she let out of anguish and pain, took another year off his life._

"_Alright, Hermione, I want you to continue breathing as we make a few adjustments to prepare you. You doing okay?"_

_Nodding mutely, Hermione strained into position, with Draco helping her all the while. It hurt to watch his wife struggle and push, doing everything in her power to let him have his baby girl. _

"_Come on, sweetheart," he whispered soothingly, "you're almost there, keep pushing."_

"_I can't. It's too hard," she cried, sobbing in frustration and anguish. "Make it stop, Draco. I can't do this!"_

"_You're almost there, love," he assured her, kissing her forehead and gripping her hand._

_Indeed, seeing as directly after one more hard push, the piercing, wonderful sound of their daughter filled the room. Hermione slumped bonelessly against Draco, her face flushed and damp with perspiration. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her and murmuring to her that it was over - that she was finally here!_

"_Is she pretty?" asked Hermione tiredly._

"_They're cleaning her up, but she's beautiful. I know she is," he assured her, kissing his wife's sweaty though sweet-tasting forehead._

_After another set of minutes / hours, Healer Gordon turned to them, an adoring smile curving her lips, and said, "Congratulations, Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy...you're both the proud parents of a gorgeous baby girl."_

_The moment their daughter had been placed in Hermione's arms, she lost it. Burying her face in Draco's shoulder, she cried tears of bliss while he kept his arm firmly around her, the other caressing their baby's cheek._

_A rosy dawn billowed into the room just as Hermione and Draco shared a gentle kiss, completely in a utopia over their new family member. Hermione sighed prettily, the morning being the perfect time to announce to the world, as well as to their child, her name. Draco rubbed her shoulder, nodding to her as she whispered, "We love you, Roxanne."_

What a day that had been. Having Roxanne enter his life turned it upside down - in a good way! - and happiness just seemed to flourish in the Malfoy residence. The happiness remained ever since, increasing with the birth of Bailey.

Bailey yawned hugely and snuggled against his father, tuckered out from a fun day of playing. Draco decided it was time to call it quits and put his children to bed, tucking them in with words of love and fatherly adoration.

He stretched, holding his arms high over his head as he entered his bedroom, giving Hermione a sleepy grin when he saw her sitting up in the bed.

"Roxy was dazzling at birth," she whispered.

Draco stopped, chuckling over the experience her mind chose to remember that particular night, and agreed, "Yes, that she was."

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A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	17. Fairytale?

_A/N: Sorry for the delay - had a case of writer's block._

_Special thanks to: XxstarrlighttxX, StormMasters, MsRisa, fallen2302, blulioness, cmtaylor531, mary-pi, mrivera, Izzy92, Your Imperfection, Henry-Coreen-Lover125, moonkazoo, munchkin91, Florentine the Great, marjorie, pAuLinAa, Rashel Quinn, canary17, mentarisenja, DCoD, dreamingdarling, Boricuamami1987, Aisling Malfoy, Elven at Heart, SweetandSour246, FlameWriter008, Erytha, weetzielovexx, twin-v, Adriana Madden, sarah, Miss-Be-Haven, and especially -FallenCynch16- (your analysis was wonderful!), DRACOSGiRLxx (hmmm...perhaps it's foreshadowing, eh?), xmisundazt00d (lol, Nine Months is hysterical!), silverlovedragoness (who doesn't love Roxy?!), and naufdude (I understand what you're saying and I appreciate the comment)._

_Comment: "You really would have thought that being a witch you wouldn't have to go through the pain of childbirth but oh no. We can mend broken bones in an instant, but going into labour, well, deal with it! It's 'cos we're women, innit? The female race is cursed I tell you." -blulioness_

_Lol, I can't agree more. I'm sorry, but I don't even think magic could make giving birth an easy, less painful experience._

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**Fairytale? - Chapter 17**

Hermione spent the morning playing with the children while Draco set off to a different part of the house, telling her some quick rambling about how he had some research to do. She shrugged, deciding she'd leave him be and let him read, Roxy and Bailey drawing her attention away in the midst. She practically swooned when she discovered the Malfoy family game collection, most of which were of _muggle _origin!

Draco remained in the downstairs study, pouring over the various tomes and books his wife and him collected throughout their marriage. Volumes and volumes of large encyclopedias and such littered the desk, none of them helping him locate a proper solution for his wife's condition.

Another book remained amongst the dispersed hardbacks. Hermione's diary, the one she'd been keeping long before he'd been with her, sat on the edge of the table. The current Hermione read a few pages in it which in turn rustled her up slightly, irking her on a certain level, making Draco question what was in there. Curiosity sought him out yet he refused to indulge, feeling that reading or even asking about his wife's diary was far too invasive. It initially shocked him when he first discovered the book, finding it hard to believe she indulged into something so, for lack of a better word, girlish.

So, doing his best to ignore the diary, he continued skimming the pages of their own personal library, determined to figure something out.

"Draco?"

He lifted up, spotting Hermione in the doorway wrapped in an overlarge sweatshirt (one of his) and regarding him thoughtfully.

"Something wrong?" he asked, his thoughts momentarily shifting toward his children.

Shaking her head, she told him, "Everything is fine. Bailey and Roxy are taking a nap so I came to see what you were doing."

Draco motioned for her to sit down, summoning a chair with his wand for her. Taking her seat, her eyes gazed up and down over the large tomes, her brow bunching when she realized what he was doing.

"Memory loss," she whispered monotonously, not shocked to see him reading up on the current problem plaguing their lives. She tried to understand Draco's need to have his wife, to get his life back. Shifting to look through his eyes, she could imagine the pain to a degree, how it would feel to not have the love of her life remember her. Yes, Draco suffered far more than her, she could admit, so she made it a mission of her own to help Draco.

Help him rather than herself.

"I've got to know everything about it. I figure that if...if I know everything than I have a better chance at finding a solution. A way to get you back," he murmured, the last line more to himself than her.

Hermione agreed, "I think you're right."

Turning his focus back to his books, Draco flipped through the old, torn pages, his eyes examining each page pensively and briefly before moving on to another.

Hermione reached over, meanwhile, to grab the diary she'd read earlier. Actually being able to learn of her life by means of herself somehow felt...better. It made her feel less crazy, more like a normal person.

Opening it by voice, she turned to see Draco staring at her for a moment, his gaze moving from the book to her.

"The first time I saw you writing in that I remember you flushing in embarrassment. You never told anyone other than me that you kept one," he told her in reminiscence. "Whenever I saw you writing in it after that, I either pretended I didn't notice or left the room without your knowledge. If you wished to keep certain thoughts to yourself then far be it from me to stop you."

"It doesn't bother you?" she asked with interest.

Waving a hand at her, he replied, "You've always been honest with me about the important things. We don't keep anything from one another. I figure that whatever is in there is just your way of remembering it so you can look at it later. I figure that I already know everything in there."

Smiling gently to one another, their attentions reverted back to what they'd been staring at prior to the short interlude. Hermione flipped some of the pages and fell on one she enjoyed reading beforehand...

_Dear Diary,_

_Today I told Draco about his impending fatherhood for the second time and his reaction more or less made me love him more. Merlin, I can't imagine my life without this man. He'd spent the day with Roxanne, enjoying her company just as much as mine, and tickling her at every opportune moment. Each time she'd let out a giggle, he'd smile up at me with a look I can hardly describe. He's just so incredibly happy. So much in fact that I feel it's palpable, perhaps even contagious. _

_At first, his expression had me worried. I mean I know it came as a shock, but goodness, did it have me scared. We haven't discussed having more children though I know in my heart he wants more. I have a feeling he's been waiting on me, hoping that when the time was right for me to give birth again that I'd tell him. How I managed to get pregnant again has me wondering though since we're always so careful. I figure it must have been Ginny's restaurant opening. I didn't know him banging me in a bathroom stall would lead to this, as fun and naughty as that was, but I digress. Getting back on track, Draco certainly hadn't expected me to become pregnant without preamble. It just happened, but I'm pleased to know he's just as happy as I am._

_We decided to pass on learning the baby's gender. I figured it was only fair since I hadn't given Draco the option last time. I just kind of blurted out that we were having a girl, him happy none the less. However, this time I asked him and he wants to be surprised which is how it will be. I'm excited at the prospect, especially for Roxanne. She'll have a little brother or sister!_

_Draco's already convinced himself that we're having a boy since he figures there is too much estrogen in the house. I'm happy either way. I'd love a little boy, but Roxy has brought me so much joy that I can only know the next child, boy or girl, will bring me just as much. I already love this baby as does Draco. I'm going to have to keep telling myself seven months. Seven more months and our family will be even more complete._

_Until next time._

The page ended and Hermione got an overwhelming sense of a rush, a dizzy spell just thinking about how excited she'd been at expecting her son; a son she, at the time, didn't even know was a son. She wondered how she'd told him exactly and decided to question Draco about it.

"Draco, do you remember when I told you about Bailey for the first time? When I told you I was pregnant?"

Draco looked up bemused, but answered, "Yes, vividly. Why?"

"I wrote about it in here, but only really the feelings. It doesn't actually say how I informed you. Tell me?"

Draco smirked, his mien calming and softening at the thought of the news about his son...

"_I'm gonna get you Roxanne!" _

_Giggling, she crawled onto his stomach, finding that mode of transportation easier than walking. She'd taken her first steps nearly eight months prior, cantering into Draco's arms as Hermione watched on with glee, snapping a picture just as she reached her very proud daddy. In spite of this, Roxy preferred to crawl at times, standing and walking too much of a burden in the moment. _

_The small girl, clothed in a pale-blue shirt and the smallest jeans Draco had ever laid eyes on, a blue ribbon in her dark hair (it had only recently changed from pale blonde to a darker shade of brunette), fell on her father's stomach, nuzzling him under the chin and allowing him to hold her tight._

"_Baby girl, you're the most fun person I know," he told her, kissing her soft hair. He heard a little 'ahem' behind him and added, "Along with your beautiful mum."_

"_It's alright," said Hermione, walking around to take a seat next to them, leaning her back against the couch; "I'll allow you to say such things to someone prettier than me."_

"_Mama!" squealed Roxy, throwing out her arms, beckoning her to hold her. Hermione smiled and lifted her daughter from her husband, making a face at him Roxy couldn't see._

"My_ baby," she mock-taunted, Draco grinning all the while._

"_I believe_ my_ daughter and I were having a wonderful time before you interrupted," he informed, sitting up and crossing his legs, pouting._

"_Dada, no sad!" chastised his daughter, pointing her finger at him like her mum did when trying to get a point across to her father. Hermione laughed as Roxy shouted, "'Appy time!"_

"_Happy time," he agreed, giving her the biggest smile he could. Leaning in, he said, "Kiss!"_

_Roxy gave her father a kiss on the cheek and then gave one to her mother, snuggling up closer to Hermione. Allowing her to get up, Roxy ran back over to her father, loving the moment. Their daughter always was in a better mood and spirit when she had both her parents at home, this being Draco's day off._

_Laying on his stomach and letting her crawl all over his back, Draco asked, "You feeling any better?"_

_His wife had been enduring dreadful morning bouts of nausea for the last week which, naturally, bothered him. Each morning he rubbed her back soothingly and gallantly held her hair as she emptied the contents of her poor stomach. He hated when she was sick._

_Hermione though, looking beautiful and in high spirits, nodded, a small knowing smile playing her lips which Draco, knowing her like he did, automatically detected. He knew whatever currently occupied her mind would eventually come out, without a doubt; she never kept things from him. So, ignoring the thought for the moment, he began tickling his little girl, basking in the glow of her laughter and smiles._

_Merlin, Draco was happy._

_These two girls, his wife and his daughter, were his life. His life began and ended with their happiness and with their safety. He lived and breathed just to make sure they enjoyed peaceful lives. Draco would be lying had he said he expected to live such a cliche dream life, but he didn't deny his love for it. He didn't resent belonging to them body, mind, and soul._

_Hermione, his love, his wife, meant the world to him. He didn't know only a few short years prior that he would feel a love so fierce and ardent that he would do ANYTHING for that love. Whatever she wanted, she got. Whatever made her happy, made him happy. All in all, he lived to give her the life she dreamed of. _

_Roxanne, his daughter, his baby girl, more or less was a part of him. He never knew that loving another being could come as naturally as it did when it came to his child. Without a shadow of a doubt, he knew he'd love her forever. Whether or not she grew up to become a healer or work at the Leaky Cauldron, he'd love her. Whether or not she loved brooms as wholesomely as he did, he'd love her. Hell, she could be sorted into Hufflepuff and he would still love her with all the love he possessed. He just loved Roxy, plain and simple; and he always would._

_Enjoying a serene day with his wife and daughter filled his heart with a contentment he never knew existed before they came into his life._

"_Draco, I want to talk to you about something," she told him, tugging at a few stray curls falling from her messy ponytail. _

_He regarded her meditatively, unsure whether fear should overwhelm him. Hermione didn't usually take dramatic pauses for effect meaning the silence actually stemmed from hesitancy, another quality she didn't possess when it came to him._

"_Is something wrong?" he asked her, concerned._

"_Well, um, I kind of wanted to know your thoughts about that currently expanding quidditch team of yours."_

_Draco burst out laughing, rolling over and pulling his daughter into his lap. Roxy responded by joining in on her father's sudden outburst of mirth, giggling herself into exhaustion in his lap. _

"_No, no, you wouldn't say that. I mean...if you said that then..." it began to dawn on him, "it would mean...that you're pregnant and um...you..."_

_Hermione bit her lip, anxiously resuming the yanking of her hair, scared to death of Draco flipping out or worse. _

"_You _are_ pregnant, aren't you?" he asked tentatively._

"_Yes," she answered in a quiet voice._

_The same wonderful, powerful feeling swept over him like a cauldron of euphoric potion had been poured above his head. He remembered getting the same feeling when he'd been informed about Roxy's impending birth almost two years ago. _

We're having another baby? Merlin, we're having another beautiful baby! I not only get blessed once, but TWICE! Hermione is pregnant with MY child for the second time. Could life get any better than this?!

"_I'm sorry if um...if you're not happy over this—"_

"_Happy?!" he interrupted her, a smile grasping his features, "I couldn't be any more happy if I wanted to. Hermione, this is incredible!"_

_Setting his daughter down with infinite tenderness, he leaned over and pulled Hermione into his arms, hugging her tightly and drinking in her wondrous scent. Suddenly, his shoulder felt damp and he pulled back to see tears cascading down her cheeks._

"_Love, what's wrong?" he asked, wondering if her hormones were already kicking in again._

_Shaking her head and dabbing at her eyes, she muttered, "I'm just happy. We're having another baby, Draco."_

"_I've got to be the luckiest bloke in the world. Not only do I have the most beautiful wife and perfect daughter in existence, but I'm about to have another daughter or son. Thank you so much."_

_Smiling at him, they resumed their prior activity, hugging frantically in the middle of their living room._

"_Hugs!" screamed Roxy excitedly, tugging at her father's shirt._

_Draco and Hermione pulled back, turning their gazes toward their pretty daughter. Draco told her, "Your little brother or sister is growing inside your mummy, Rox." Draco ran his hands over her belly, already excited at the prospect of going through the pregnancy with her all over again. Roxy tilted her head to the side, mimicking her father's action by placing a hand on Hermione's tummy. _

"_Hugs?"_

_They both laughed and pulled their daughter toward them, basking in the family hug, all _four_ of them (for the growing child inside Hermione was certainly a member of the Malfoy clan already). Draco let them go if only to meet Hermione's eyes when he asked, "Do we know what we're having? Is it a boy or a girl?"_

_Shaking her head, Hermione replied, "I didn't find out. I think you should have the choice. I knew about Roxy last time so it's up to you if you want to know about our son or daughter this time."_

_Draco smiled, thinking to himself all the reasons why they should or should not know. Obviously it would be easier to prepare a nursery and such if they knew the sex. They'd know the colors to use, the clothes to buy, which brand of toy broomstick to have ready. Yet, not knowing seemed like such a better idea at the moment. They'd get to savor the experience along with relishing the joys of guessing and wondering. Then the three of them, Roxy included, could laugh when they finally discover the gender, nod in their correct guesses while ignoring their wrong ones. It would be a spectacular way to spend Hermione's pregnancy._

"_Let's be surprised," he told her, both hands firmly resting on her flat belly. "I think it would be more fun to wait and spend our time guessing. What do you say, love?"_

_Hermione answered by pulling Draco's face to her own, planting her lips to his and wrapping her arms around his neck. Draco, responding to his wife's sudden kiss, moved one arm around her, placing his hand on the small of her back, while the other remained on her stomach. _

"_How long?" he panted, resting his forehead against hers, still rubbing her belly with his hand. "How long before I'm holding my second baby?"_

"_About seven months," she whispered, running her hands through his silky hair and snuggling up against him._

_Yeah, life was good._

"Knowing that I was going to be blessed for the second time, or third really, the first being when I got you, was just wonderful," he told her, smiling like a Cheshire cat. Hermione didn't need her memory to know how he felt about their son's coming birth.

"Was I happy?"

"More than ever, I think," he replied with a nod. "I think you finally felt at peace. For so long you'd been worrying over the Dark Lord and so forth, but now you finally had your family. Yeah, you were happy."

Sharing a brief moment of mutual contentment, they returned to their books; Draco to a muggle encyclopedia he didn't really trust (though he read anything at this point. If magical books refused to give him an answer then why not at least check the muggle references?) and Hermione to the diary.

After flipping several pages, her eyes scanned over the entry which caused her much reflection and worry. She didn't understand not only how Draco could let something like this happen, but how SHE could let something like this happen. What in the hell could have possibly caused her to write this—

_Dear Diary,_

_If regret and worry were oceans, I'd be drowning right now. Up until a few weeks ago I never knew my own physical pain could lead me into such deep self-loathing. I'll never forgive myself for this._

_I almost lost Bailey._

_I almost lost Bailey before he or she is even bloody born. I know Draco thinks it was his fault, but it was mine. He wasn't even there which I guess is where his guilt stems from. He's wrong though. I was there, obviously, and I should have protected myself better. In the name of Merlin, my Roxy was there and I couldn't even protect her! I feel like such a failure as a mother._

_Draco and I really haven't experienced any problems with those ruddy people since that night years ago when we were married. Sure, their threats come every now and then, but they've never actually attacked either of us until a few nights ago. My God, if someone hadn't heard Roxy's cries than I probably would have died, the baby with me, along with Ginny, and who knows what those monsters would have done to my baby girl. It doesn't bode well to think about it. Then, Draco would have gone mad, completely out of his mind...again, it doesn't bode well to torture myself over the what ifs. Roxy is safe along with little Bailey so all is well._

_I just hope Draco's solution doesn't lead us to the demise of Lily and James Potter. If only for the sake of our babies._

_Until next time._

The page ended, leaving Hermione with a pit of cold, icy fear in her gut. What could have possibly scared her so much? What could they have done to her that almost led to Bailey never being born?! Perhaps she spoke with wisdom in that entry.

It didn't bode well to think about.

0000000

"Mummy, I was thinking and I think we should visit Auntie Ginny," said Roxanne matter-of-factly.

"Why is that, Roxy?" she asked, only halfway listening to her daughter. Her thoughts still focused on what she'd read in that diary, her fears throbbing behind her temples.

"Because I want to meet baby Autumn!" she told them, her bottom lip jutted out. "Uncle Blaise promised me that we'd get to see her once Auntie Ginny got home."

Hermione turned to Draco for help and he said, "An owl came today from your uncle so you'll get to meet Autumn tomorrow. Are you going to be a good girl when you meet her?"

"Yes!" she squealed with glee.

"That means you'll have to use an inside voice and be very quiet around her," he warned.

"Okay," she whispered, much lower than necessary. Draco smiled at her, running a hand over her soft hair and pulling her into his lap. Bailey, witnessing the interaction between his sister and father, decided he wanted some attention as well. He raced over to sit in his mama's lap, leaning against her chest and allowing Hermione to brush her fingers through his soft hair.

"You seem tired, baby," murmured Hermione, pulling back to meet her son's eyes. Yawning hugely and snuggling up closer to her tummy, Hermione rubbed his back while searching for Draco's eyes.

"It's rather late," he said aloud, not really to anyone.

"Does that mean it's time for bed?" whined Roxy, crinkling her nose up at him. He dipped down and kissed the tip, earning him a giggle.

"Yes, it does. Head upstairs and change into your 'jamies. I'll be up in a minute," he said sternly. The girl submitted and took off for the stairs, ready to have her father read her a bedtime story.

Bailey had already fallen asleep against his mother's chest, snoozing lightly and seemingly content with his mother's ministrations, still rubbing her fingers through his hair. "He is totally conked out right now," Hermione noted adoringly.

"Let's get him up and then we'll head off to bed. My eyes are killin' me," he muttered, rubbing his face up and down. "Want me to carry him?"

Shaking her head and standing up with Bailey pressed to her breast, kissing the top of his soft hair with every step, Hermione ventured upstairs. Draco blew out all the candles and turned off all the muggle lights, stretching his arms above his head once he checked all the doors. Then, with a sluggish drawl to his step, he entered Roxy's room to find her already in bed with a book in her lap.

"Daddy!" she exclaimed. "Ready to hear the story?"

Draco stopped for a moment with lifted brows. "Am I ready to hear a story? Are _you_ going to read to _me_?"

"I most certainlyest am!"

"_Certainly_, baby," he corrected with a smile. Sitting on the bed next to her and sprawling out in an overly dramatic way, he gestured toward the book; "well, I'm ready to hear."

Roxanne excitedly opened the book, licked her fingers to turn the page, just like her mum always did, and leaned against her father, whose eyes were closed as he listened to his daughter's voice. Draco, not only pleased by her enthusiasm, felt overwhelming pride and happiness rise up at how well she read a difficult story to him. At the same time, however, it tugged at his heart - Hermione, had she been in her right mind, would have cried over not only how well their little girl could read the material, but her ability to interpret it.

Roxy's lulling voice started to quake with sleep and Draco eventually took the book from her in order to finish, reading until she fell asleep. After pulling the covers up to her chin and placing a fatherly kiss on her forehead, he turned off the light (Hermione refused to keep candles in their children's bedrooms) and went to his own room.

"Roxy all tucked in?"

"Yeah," he muttered, his thoughts still on his wife rather than the current Hermione sharing their marriage bed. "And B?"

Nodding, she told him, "Bailey is fast asleep."

After Draco brushed his teeth, washed his fast, and changed into more comfortable sleeping attire, he crawled into bed beside her. Hermione leaned her head against his shoulder, restfully snuggling up to him and allowing him to wrap an arm around her. She could feel the tension in his body, but decided not to question it. Besides, sleep already seemed appealing and began clouding her mind...

"_You should see her at home, mate!" exclaimed Draco, a proud grin adoring his face. "She's walking all over the place and at times it's nearly impossible to keep up. It's incredible. I swear, Roxy has to be the smartest, most beautiful girl in existence."_

"_Thank Merlin she gets the looks and the brains from Hermione, yeah?" quipped Blaise._

_Hermione burst out laughing as Draco nodded in agreement, knowing the truth behind Blaise's words. _

"_Well, it's not like that's a slam. My wife is gorgeous after all," replied Draco, a little arrogance in his tone._

"_Oh, will you boys ever grow up?!" asked Hermione in exasperation, her smile belying any actual irritation. Truth be told, she rather enjoyed their conversation, laughing as she clutched her round belly, Draco's right hand smoothing over the growing bump every now and then. "Honestly, you boys are acting like a bunch of second years right now."_

"_Attractive second years?" asked Blaise, his eyebrows lifted._

"_Would you want me to lie?" she jested, her own brows lifted, mocking the two. Blaise bowed his head slightly and the three laughed together, enjoying each others' presence in Ginny's lovely restaurant._

"_Baise!"_

_Turning toward the little brunette girl sitting in a highchair beside her mum, he asked, "Yes, princess?"_

"_I drop't it," she informed him, sounding a little miffed._

_Blaise looked to where her tiny finger pointed to and saw, beside the front leg of the toddler's seat, the pink teddy bear he gave her when they first arrived at the restaurant. Hermione noticed this as well and began to move, prepared to pick up her child's toy._

_Blaise shot his hand up instantly, saying, "Hermione, stop. I've got it. I'm not going to have a pregnant woman falling down here."_

"_Yeah, sweetheart, lean back," urged Draco, putting a hand on her shoulder in an attempt to halt her movements._

_Rolling her eyes, she muttered agitatedly, "I'm quite capable of handling my daughter."_

"_We know, love," assured Draco, trying to keep her nerves at bay. Currently in her third trimester, he knew her emotions would get the best of her if something set her off._

_Meanwhile, Blaise bent down to retrieve the girl's toy. He handed her back her bear and was rewarded with a smile._

"_Tank you, Baise."_

"_You're welcome, princess."_

_Hermione's irritation fled as she fell witness to the interaction between her daughter and her godfather. Aside from Draco and herself, she knew Blaise was probably her favorite person._

_Hermione suddenly sat up pensively, rubbing her belly while letting out a sigh. "Bailey is kicking," she informed the table (actually, just Blaise seeing as Draco, having gone through this once before, knowing Hermione during her pregnancy the way he did, sensed her movement already. Almost in a telepathic sense - he just knew each time something occurred with their little baby). "Little thing has been kicking up a storm today."_

_Smiling, Blaise asked, "Why Bailey?"_

_Leaning back, appearing content and outrageously happy, Hermione informed him, "It works both ways. Draco and I figure that even though we don't know the gender, we should probably have a name ready. Bailey is gender neutral so it'll work whether Bailey is a boy or a girl."_

"_You Gryffindors always have to be prepared, don't you?"_

_Hermione smirked; "um you should know that the name was Draco's idea." Blaise and Draco exchanged looks while Hermione giggled. "Well, the concept was Draco's, but Roxy essentially picked it out."_

"_How did she do that?" asked Blaise._

_Giving her daughter's hand a little squeeze, she explained, "Draco and I came up with a list of various names that would work and ones we liked. Then we put it in front of Roxy and she pointed to Bailey. So, our little girl picked out her sibling's name."_

_Smirking over his goddaughter's intelligence (yes, he saw her as a smart little girl), taking pride over the girl he loved as if his own, he muttered, "Naturally. The girl is going to grow up to be just as smart as her uncle."_

"_Let's hope not," quipped Draco. Blaise pulled a face while Hermione laughed and continued to coo over their daughter._

_Suddenly they were graced with the presence of Blaise's girlfriend, Ginny, the woman of the hour. She sighed, "Sorry, problem in the back. It seems they can't get along without me for even just one night!"_

"_It was your choice to open this restaurant," noted Blaise, taking a sip of his cold drink._

"_Thank you, Mr. Zabini. I wasn't aware," she growled, the table erupting with laughter afterward._

_Just as Blaise was about to retort, Roxy made a comment that changed the course of the evening...for the better..._

"_Baise, you need to hug Ghinny."_

_Their attention turned to the little girl who seemed slightly upset, her arms crossed over her chest, the same way her mother stood when chastising her father. Draco, smirking at his daughter, asked, "Why should he hug Ginny?"_

"_Cause Baise is like Daddy and mum gets hugs!" Roxy, the two and a half year old terror, nodded vigorously, her words wise beyond her few years. _

_Hermione ran her hand over Roxy's soft hair, smiling softly at her baby girl. Draco, however, kept his eyes on Blaise, noting the discoloration in his complexion all the sudden. _

"_Blaise is like Rox's daddy..." repeated Blaise, somewhat in a daze. Shaking his head, he murmured, "You know, I'm not like Roxy's dad...but I want to be."_

_Draco and Hermione sucked in a few breaths, remaining quiet as they looked back and forth between a strikingly serious Blaise and a shocked Ginny. Roxy continued to babble, unaware her words had such a profound influence over the people occupying the table._

"_Ginny, sweetheart," started Blaise, his dark eyes cast on her shaking hands placed daintily in her lap, "I know you had plans for your future when you were younger and I certainly know they didn't involve me. I know you didn't plan on shacking up with some bloke who was sorted into Slytherin. I know you didn't plan on falling for a guy like me. What I do know is that I'll spend the rest of my life proving to you how much I love you."_

_A traitorous sob erupted from her mouth, nearly scaring him at how upset she seemed to become. After exchanging a look with Hermione, he realized he could push forward, understanding that Ginny's tears were the "good kind". _

"_Ginny Weasley..."_

_Draco and Hermione smiled as Blaise dropped to one knee and pulled out a small red box occupied by a sparkling ruby ring they helped him pick out. Before he could even ask, Ginny threw her arms around his neck and screamed, "YES!"_

_The occupants of the room stood to their feet and roared with applause over 'War Hero Ginny Weasley', not to mention the owner of the restaurant, getting engaged. Congratulations and well wishes were thrown into the open - with some slight heckling from Draco - cheering the couple, still fervently engaged in hugs and kisses, on._

_Roxy, startled by all the noise and much older people standing to their feet (save her mummy, who proudly applauded in her seat), burst into tears. Draco realized his baby girl's dilemma and, still smiling, strode over to her in order to calm her. Clutching Roxy to his chest, he bent down to his wife and whispered, "Well, I guess this means we're going to have more children."_

_Lifting an eyebrow, Hermione asked, "What? Why do you say that?"_

"_Oh come on, Hermione. You know how competitive those two are. Once they get into the whole marriage thing then they'll be poppin' babies out all the time, trying to beat us. I don't think we can let our mates outnumber us, can we?"_

_Hermione scowled (though a mocking quality was evident), "Unless you plan on carrying the next one yourself, I don't see us having another. Got it?"_

"_Absolutely, Hermione," he grinned, catching the amusement in her voice. Turning back around and seeing Blaise practically devouring his new fiancée, Draco laughed, "Save it for the honeymoon! I've got a kid here."_

_Blaise and Ginny eventually disengaged and took their seats, though their hands never left each other's._

_Hermione and Ginny immediately started babbling over the impending wedding while their men more or less shook their heads, just enjoying the company of their wife and wife-to-be. Roxy calmed though she didn't take her seat again and instead opted for Draco's lap, allowing him to calm her into sleep._

_CRASH!_

_Everyone's head turned toward the back room, the noise abruptly halting all conversations. Ginny rose to her feet, prepared to head in the back when two things stopped her; one) The candles were all extinguished out of nowhere, and two) Blaise's hand gripped her tight, much too firm for her to disengage._

"_Ginny, stay here," he ordered, moving her behind him and heading toward the back. Draco handed Hermione their daughter and followed Blaise, pulling out his wand as they neared the hindmost area of the restaurant._

_Hermione and Ginny both eyed them, noting with gratefulness that a few other men stood behind Blaise and Draco should they need assistance._

_After Blaise entered for a moment, he darted out and whispered something to Draco, whose eyes shot open immediately._

"_Ladies and gentlemen, _Ginny's House of Magic_ is currently dealing with some...complications. I'm going to ask you all to leave now. Go!" _

_Draco's hoarse yells had the effect he wanted and they all stood to exit, obviously unsure of the problems but not truly caring; alarm setting in. Draco, meanwhile, strode over to their table and said, "Get out of here. Head back to the Leaky Cauldron and floo home, the both of you. Blaise and I will meet you there, understand?"_

"_What's going on?" asked Ginny, terrified._

"_Just get the hell out of here! Go!"_

_Ginny took Roxy so they could move faster while Hermione waddled around the table, giving Draco one last glance over her shoulder, feeling her heart tug as he exited the room. Together, they made their way out of the restaurant and down the foggy streets and eerily deserted side lanes of Diagon Alley._

_Hermione's feet throbbed beneath her heavy body and she clutched her belly, doing her best to move fast when she wasn't meant to run. Ginny kept looking over her shoulder while Roxy clutched her neck, her eyes wide with fear._

"_Ginny, slow down," gasped Hermione, leaning against a wall, rubbing her lower abdomen. Ginny rushed over and opened her mouth, no doubt about to tell her they needed to keep moving, that they could rest later, but before she could..._

"_AAAH!"_

"_HERMIONE!"_

_Someone grabbed the pregnant woman from behind and pulled her into a side street, Ginny screaming and following after her. Setting the small child down and keeping Roxy behind her, Ginny looked on in horror as three cloaked figures held their wands out at her. Hermione struggled, desperately trying to free herself from the person restraining her, the person's hand gripping her throat far too tight._

"_Ginny, run!" she managed to pant out, desperately hoping she'd get out of there with her baby girl. _Merlin, Ginny, _she thought frantically_, get the fuck out of here! Take my daughter and run!

_Ginny, however, didn't move and instead calmly approached them, trying to think of a way to get them out of this situation._

"_Listen," she said in a quiet though firm voice, "just let Hermione go and we'll deal wi—"_

"_Stupefy!" cursed one of the cloaked figures, knocking Ginny's body into the wall and rendering her unconscious._

"_NO!" screamed Hermione as Roxy, still standing near Ginny, started to wail in fear and confusion. Hermione stared from the knocked out redhead to her screaming, crying daughter, dreadfully wanting to hold her and comfort her. However, other problems plagued as her vision blacked around the edges. The one holding her was practically strangling her, gripping her far too tight._

"_Please," she begged, fearing for the safety of her best friend, daughter, and the child growing inside her, "just leave us alone. Don't hurt us—"_

_SLAP!_

_White stars exploded before her eyes, a moment of deafness engulfing her. The rushing sound of air drowned out all other noises - the cloaked death eaters, her daughter's screams - and the fear continued to creep up her spine. Her cheek felt inflamed, burning from the sting of the person's backhanded slap._

_Hermione felt consciousness slipping just as the other two figures pointed their wands at her and she, amazingly having regained her hearing, heard a voice distinctly calling out, "Hey! Someone help! These people need help!"_

_She felt the tip of a wand pressed against her belly..._

_Then everything went dark..._

"NO!"

Thrashing wildly in the bed, Hermione awoke Draco who shot up perplexed, startled over the sight before him. His wife nearly ripped the sheets as she screamed for help and pummeled her head against the pillows.

"Merlin, Hermione!" he barked, grabbing her arms and fiercely pulling her to his chest, rocking and shushing her; "it's alright, Hermione. Calm down, your safe. Please, love, relax. It's alright..."

Hermione eventually cried herself into exhaustion, the memory of the attack on her, Ginny, and her baby girl still chilling her mind.

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A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	18. Big Girls Don't Cry

_A/N: Whether you believe it or not, this chapter is crucial (I've had this story mapped out since the beginning and this chapter came out just as I planned). I'll just say two very important, underlying themes occur. I'll be impressed by anyone who can understand what they are._

_Special thanks to: waffenmac, xxDracoDragonxx, -FallenCynch16-, twin-v, mentarisenja, blulioness, bluebaby3296, Rashel Quinn, Elven at Heart, SquishyGirl, moonkazoo, Munchkin91, Adriana Madden, Aisling Malfoy, dracoshott28, Florentine the Great, fallen2302, SweetandSour246, Miss-Be-Haven, DCoD, Your Imperfection, marjorie, Bubbes, ebbe04, Darling-Angel-Puff, bookwormatcams, Erytha, cmtaylor531, and especially xmisundazt00d (You seem like one of the few), MsRisa (You're a smart one), silverlovedragoness._

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**Big Girls Don't Cry - Chapter 18**

"What did you dream? What did you remember, Hermione?"

Draco had been asking her to tell him about her horrid nightmare for well over an hour, often whispering soothing nonsense to her when she would cry again and clutch his shirt for dear life. _Mother of Merlin, _he thought sadly,_ what in the hell could have scared her so much? What did she experience that was so horrible?_

Knuckling at her face and pulling back some, Hermione looked down and away, not really wanting to see his face at the moment. Goodness, that had been one of the worst things she'd ever been witnessed to. Watching death eaters attack her, hurt Ginny, leer at her daughter, and every other atrocious crime committed just about killed her, especially when she thought about that little boy growing inside of her. _What if I had fallen? What if I had been hit with a curse to permanently take him away from me? Oh Merlin... _

"Hermione, love, please talk to me," he urged, smoothing the damp hair around her forehead, giving her temple a gentle kiss.

"It was awful," she whispered, shuddering in the wake; "just awful. I uh...I didn't know people were capable of such things. I didn't know people were capable of going after a pregnant witch. I mean...the witch, I get, but a pregnant one? Something so innocent and pure never deserves that."

Draco froze above her, his arms tensing about her in remembrance of the situation. Merlin, when he found out what had happened. He'd gone completely mad...

"_The fighting is long since over. You both can go," muttered the Ministry official, little emotion in his tone. _

_Draco and Blaise exchanged looks, unsure if the man standing before them understood the seriousness of what occurred. A Death Eater had just broken into one of the most popular restaurants of the day and age - one very PUBLIC restaurant - and attempted to go after them and their families. Did this man not understand that this proved their motives? That they would stop at nothing until something was done to both the Malfoy and Zabini families?_

"_Sir, with all the respect I can muster," gritted Draco, fighting down anger, "I don't see how you're so calm about this. Do you—"_

"_Mr. Malfoy, I understand your concerns about this. However, one cannot strictly say this attack was on you and you alone. Forgive me, but a very important member of the wizarding community and personal associate of the Minister was present in _Ginny's House of Magic _tonight. It's unclear whether or not this attack was on him, on you, or anyone for that matter. Nobody can be certain."_

"_CAN'T BE CERTAIN?!" growled Blaise, Draco clutching his arm in attempt to keep him from throttling the man arguing with them. "You stupid prat, are you not aware of our situation?! I came here with my fiancée and my best mate's family. He has a two-year-old kid and another on the way and to have this place broken into wasn't just a random person going after someone who doesn't matter. They no sooner went after that Ministry bloke than the Queen herself. They were after us and the fact that they took off so quickly says something else. They're out there and waiting to strike!"_

_Blaise's chest heaved up and down, fear and adrenaline motivating him into working himself up. Draco loosened his grip, but didn't remove his hand, afraid Blaise would end up in Azkaban if he didn't keep his best mate calm._

"_Something needs to be done about this and right quick!"_

"_Sir, I assure you we are doing everything that can be done. How dare you suggest otherwise? Now, know that I refuse to say it again, good night to the both of you."_

_Blaise huffed again, but Draco pulled him back, walking toward the exit. After Roxy's birth, Draco learned when to walk away and remain calm, Hermione informing him about how tempers could hurt or even end something so incredibly precious. Blaise, though a man in love, still had his temper and needed someone to say stop every once in a while._

"_Come on, Blaise. Let's get out of here," urged Draco, pulling him out of the building and on the main streets of Diagon Alley. They kept glancing over their shoulders every so often as they walked to the apparation points, checking for any signs of someone following them. At this present it would have been a futile attack with so many Ministry wizards around. Though the vast majority were slow on the uptake, many of them were capable of dueling quite well._

_The two stopped when they passed a shady looking alleyway surrounded by officials and a few wizards in for questioning. They could see blood, but no injured parties._

"_What happened?" asked Blaise._

"_I don't know, but let's um...let's get to the girls."_

_Blaise didn't need telling twice and together they raced to the apparation site, apparated themselves back to the Malfoy home, eagerly anticipating the comfort they'd receive from their "better halves". _

"_Hermione?" called out Draco, his brow furrowing once they entered the dark house. It appeared unoccupied._

"_You told them to come here, right?" asked Blaise, spasmodically clenching his fists in worry._

"_Hermione?" he called again, his voice louder and carrying further. Walking toward the bedrooms of Draco's former bachelor flat. "Hermione? Roxanne?!" _

"_Fuck, I'm nervous now, mate. Where in the hell are they? I mean...you don't think..."_

_Draco shook his head, his heart pounding within his chest, feeling like it would explode if he didn't see his wife and baby girl. Without another thought he crossed the room and grabbed a fistful of floo powder._

"_St. Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries!"_

_Once his feet hit the ground, Draco ran with every ounce of strength in him, turning corners left and right, frantically searching for any sign of his wife and child. Once he came up to a receptionist, he halted, screaming, "Malfoy! Has Hermione Malfoy been taken here?! Roxanne Malfoy?! Or Ginny Weasley?!"_

_The witch seemed frazzled, taken aback at this man rushing up and yelling at her. Normally she would have shot back a remark informing him of the need to calm down, but upon recognizing the names she quieted and searched. After a few tense seconds of scanning, she told him, "Mrs. Malfoy is currently being assessed and taken care of while...Miss Weasley–" she flipped over to another page–"I believe she is being assessed as well."_

_Draco's heart clenched so tight that he literally felt his legs go out beneath him. If it weren't for him gripping the marble counter so tight, he probably would have slid onto the cold, hard ground. _

"_Where?" he gasped out, his breaths stacking atop each other._

_The woman read the paper again before saying, "Her particular ward is on the third floor. If you go up there, take an immediate right, and move all the way to the end, you'll find a waiting room. The healers will approach you there once they know anything."_

_Draco somehow couldn't move. He would have stayed there if Blaise hadn't come along, demanding to know where his fiancée was._

_The woman reiterated everything to him, correctly assuming Draco would be incapable of saying anything himself. After that, Blaise grabbed his arm and steered him toward the elevator, taking them both up to the floor they wanted._

_Upon reaching the destination, a little girl raced to them and flew into Draco's arms._

"_DADDY!"_

"_Roxy, baby, are you alright?" he asked the girl on instinct, not even bothering with the response; immediately lifting up her shirt in order to check her tummy and back, running his hands over her arms and checking her face, searching for any signs of physical harm. After seeing not a single scratch on his child during his brief examination, he pulled her into a fierce embrace, hugging her close and letting out a sigh of relief. "Thank Merlin you're alright."_

"_She's fine, Draco," assured a frantic Mrs. Weasley, rubbing Roxy's back as she continued to hug her father. "As soon as we came she ran over to us. One of the nurses wasn't going to let her go, but once Ginny told them who we were, they had to let Roxanne see us. As her Godmother, she fell under Ginny's care."_

_Draco lifted up his gaze in order to search the room. He saw Blaise holding Ginny intensely, his face buried in her striking red hair. Between the words of the mother Weasley, he could hear Ginny whispering, "I'm alright...no, really, I'm fine...just a little scratch on my cheek and a bump on my head. Nothing more, really...I don't know, Blaise...one second I was standing there and the next I was out. When I woke up I was here...I haven't seen her and that bitch in reception won't tell me anything...I'm not sure...Merlin no! She'll be fine, I know it...she's got Draco, Roxy, and that little one to fight for..."_

_Moving his eyes away from her, adrift a sea of fear, he scanned the room and located a number of the Weasley clan; Arthur, Fred, George, and Bill, along with the women, currently attempting to placate the distraught two just entering the room._

"_Where is my wife?" he asked hoarsely, convulsively tightening his grip on his daughter._

_Shaking her head and looking a little out of sorts, Mrs. Weasley responded, "Nobody is telling us anything let alone allowing us to see her."_

_Draco's nose flared while two bright spots appeared high on his cheekbones, icy blue eyes blazing fiercely, and in that moment, with his daughter's face safely - and thankfully! - tucked away in the place where his neck met his shoulder, Draco Malfoy appeared mad enough to kill._

_His features softened, only for a moment, when he pressed a soft kiss to his daughter's forehead, and hardened directly after he placed her in the mother Weasley's open arms. He turned on his heels and set off to locate his wife._

_0000000_

_He stood outside of her room pacing for well over an hour, gnawing at his lip and ignoring the requests and pleas of the Weasley family and Blaise to take a seat out there with them. Every now and then he would check on Roxy, finding comfort in seeing her sprawled across Ginny and Blaise, both tenderly caring for her while Draco more or less tried to keep a string of his sanity._

Nothing in the world should...could take this long_, he thought with a heavy thud pounding behind his eyes._

_He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he was scared beyond reason; scared for the baby and for his wife. What if Hermione pulled through, but the child was lost? What if Hermione didn't make it at all and...and—_

No, she'll be fine, _he assured himself, shaking his head back and forth to acknowledge the truth in the statement. It HAD to be true. NEEDED to be true._

_Hermione meant the world to him. Sure, their lives more or less revolved around reading bedtime stories, fixing up messy bedrooms, and the names mummy and daddy, hardly a time for romance (or the type of physical relationship they indulged in before Roxy came along), but he truly loved her. Their life together moved on to a more normal state, the typical nature of a marriage. Yet, at the end of the day, holding her seemed almost like a gift while his children, the one in the waiting room and the one in Hermione's belly, were two miracles. Two out of the three members of his beloved family currently were in the face of danger..._

"_Mr. Malfoy?"_

_Draco turned around after hearing a soft voice call his name. A woman wearing light blue nursing clothes and white healer slippers stood before him, her messy dirty-blonde hair pulled back in a half-hazard braid. Gulping noticeably, he walked to her and demanded, "I want to see my wife."_

_Looking down and obviously biting the inside of her cheek, she replied robotically, "Sir, I must request that you calm down."_

"_If one more person tells me to calm down then I will go bloody cr—"_

"_It's procedure, sir, and I apologize if it bothers you. Um, in regards to Mrs. Malfoy, well we're doing everything we can—"_

"_Everything you can? What in the fuck are you implying? Is she...is she d..."_

_He broke off, unable to actually voice his biggest fear. Hermione being dead...no, it could not be true. It could not be coming true._

_The woman said, "Please, sir, understand that your wife has come in under special circumstances. She suffered a strangling, she hit her head, and, on top of that, she is seven months pregnant. Several healers are trying to take care of your wife while monitoring the child. I'm afraid your wife is still vulnerable right now, but they've managed to stabilize her and the baby."_

_Draco let out a shaky breath and dropped his head, slamming his hands firmly on his thighs. Every fear, every painful thought regarding his wife and baby left his body with that breath. It returned like a flood once he rose again, but for a split second, he relaxed and savored the feeling of knowing his wife and child were both okay._

_However, when the fear did return, he felt every muscle in his stomach clench and bile nearly rising to his throat. After fighting it - hard! - he managed to compose himself and gasped, "Can I see her?"_

_Nodding, the girl with the name Ashley written on her blue nurse shirt directed Draco into a large room with alarming white walls and a squeaky linoleum floor. A bed stood in the middle, flanked between several healers with grim expressions and wands in their hands. In that bed rested his wife and unborn child, his heart tightening all over again just at the sight. _

"_Hermione."_

_He wasn't even aware her name slipped from his tongue, too consumed with the horrid scene laid in front. Two healers bid him nods while the other two remained by Hermione's bedside, prepared to speak with him. Draco took those few steps to her bed and grasped her hand, taking a moment to place a tender kiss against her too-warm skin. _

"_Mr. Malfoy, we'd like to go over your wife's condition if you are up to the discussion. Would you like to speak now or do you need a few moments?" asked a tall healer with dark hair and remarkable blue eyes. "We'll cater to your needs, sir."_

"_Just...just tell me now, please," whispered Draco, his eyes resting on his wife._

"_Well, while she'll need to remain here for a while, I feel you can relax at the moment. As of right now we've calmed her body, lowered her temperature, and healed all the flesh wounds she sustained during the incident."_

"_As for the baby," began the other healer, a blond man with a light beard wrapped around the cleft of his strong chin, "I was the one in charge of h—"_

"_Healer Sutton!" cried Ashley frantically._

_Turning to her slightly bemused, he asked, "Yes, Ashley?"_

"_Sir, it's written down that they do not know the sex of the child and wish to keep it that way."_

_Giving her a look of understanding, he continued, "Well, I was the one in charge of your child and we found that um...the baby is doing rather well considering the occurrence. The development should not be hindered and we foresee the baby maturing just as it should. My only concern now will be your wife's weight."_

"_What do you mean her weight?" he asked alarmed, suddenly on the defensive; "my wife is the epitome of perfect pregnant mother. She constantly monitors her weight, everything she eats, and even the most _minuscule_ thing to help the baby. I know because I've been there through it all. That can't possibly be right!"_

_The man rose his hands in a gesture that might have said 'I come in peace' in attempt to relax the flustered husband and father. Once Draco sucked in a deep breath and gazed at his pregnant wife, rubbing his hand over the bulge of her abdomen, the man said, "Sir, I'm not implying anything and you are correct in that Hermione is the proper weight. However, the stress of this kind of incident so late in the pregnancy often causes a dramatic weight loss and we're going to have to monitor this. With her at the traditional, recommended weight level, hopefully we'll be able to keep her body calm so nothing unhealthy can occur."_

_Draco agreed with him though he didn't voice it aloud, opting to just hold his wife's hand and stare at her closed eyes meaningfully. The healers sensed Draco's silent dismissal and exited the room, allowing the man to slam his head on the white sheets and let out an exhausted, shaky breath..._

Draco stroked Hermione's hair until she fell back into a feverish sleep, her sticky, tear-streaked face pressed against his throat while her hands clung to the sleep-warm fabric of his shirt. For a long while he simply held her, listening to the sound of her heartbeat slowing from a rapid canter to a mellow rhythm. Merlin, the memory made him sick to his stomach every time he thought about it so he tried to imagine what it would be like to have it thrown in his face. Poor thing just tries to get some shut eye and unfortunately is forced to deal with horrible memories.

"I love you, Hermione," he reassured her, knowing full well she was already asleep.

He finally pressed her back down onto the bed, pushed back some of her sweaty hair from her flushed face, and pressed a kiss to her forehead, willing her to relax in her sleep. The girl didn't deserve to remember the bad things. _Damn it! Why can't she remember all the happy things? We've had a lot of great moments! _he thought vehemently_. Please, Hermione, I beg of you to remember moments when Roxy made us laugh or our romantic evenings for two or our pleasant visits with the Weasleys...or...or bloody hell, us sleeping together! Just remember what we had._

The headache pounding in his mind didn't bode well for a man already stressed out to the max. He removed himself from the bed, content in knowing Hermione finally returned to sleep, and walked out in the hallway, desperate to see his sleeping children. He checked on Roxanne first, walking in a hint to observe her peaceful slumber. Her body pressed downward on her stomach, her face squished against the soft fabric of her many pillows. Her beautiful hair - Hermione's hair - fanned all around, framing her lovely face. He closed the door and quickly strode down to his son's room, finding him safely nestled in his own bed. Though it actually was a bed, the outer edges had railings, something Hermione insisted on when they took him from his crib. He could remember her lilting voice saying, "Draco, there is no way I'm leaving him in a giant bed alone in his room. He has to have something to keep him from falling or else _you're_ sleeping alone, mister!"

"I'd give anything to hear that again," he whispered to himself, closing the door behind him.

Draco felt like the survivor after some horrific shipwreck and only he and this...this other person dwelled on a lone island at sea. He felt a sense of island fever, unable to escape the small, confined location. He felt lost amongst the debris of abnormality. Most of all, he felt trapped with someone he didn't know.

"I miss you, sweetheart," he murmured into his palms, resting his elbows on his knees and sitting on the staircase. "I love you. Please know that I love you."

0000000

Little did Draco know, Hermione's dreams were anything other than sweet. After he left to compose himself in a different area of the house, Hermione's memories returned in the wake and not the more pleasant ones...

_Hermione sat drumming her fingers on her stomach, a frown etched across her face and worry lines marring the skin beneath her eyes. She looked much older than she was yet not as old as she felt. Merlin, she felt old. _

Actually, no I don't, _she thought to herself_; I feel young and stupid! How could I have been so stupid?!

_Her husband stood next to the side wall, his arms interlaced over his chest and his left leg crossed atop the other. When she'd first awoken, he'd gone mad with relief, kissing her all over her tired face and caressing her gently over the covers. He'd whispered loving words until she'd fallen back to sleep. Since then...well, he'd been different. _

_Mad._

_No - screw mad..._

_Bloody livid!_

_She couldn't quite tell where his anger was directed and he refused to tell her, leaving her alone to try and decipher his unreadable face. Frustration boiled over her within the first few minutes of trying to accomplish this feat._

"_Draco, I—"_

"_I just don't bloody understand how this could happen," he growled in a voice she rarely heard._

"_I uh..."_

"_I can't believe I was stupid enough to let you go out there when you're pregnant. What if something happened to Bailey? I'd never forgive myself if something happened to that baby."_

_Hermione bit her lip, understanding that her husband's guilt stemmed from not being able to protect them. _Us, right? The _both_ of us, right?

"_I should have known better. I should have known the entire thing was a bloody set up and I didn't. Blinded by I don't know what, but I missed that and it could have cost us a baby. I could have lost a baby."_

_Hermione's eyes started to well up in tears before she could even try to halt them. Grant it her hormones were in overdrive and she'd fallen victim to a devastating experience, somehow she felt a bit of...betrayal by him extending just beyond the whole pregnancy issues messing with her mind. _No, _she thought fiercely_, this is...I don't even know. His baby? His baby ALONE?! He can't possibly...I mean...

"_Draco...um I—"_

"_It's ridiculous. I don't know what I would have done if the baby..."_

_In a voice just above a whisper, Hermione pointed out, "Draco, they were strangling _me_."_

"_Exactly!" he bellowed, suddenly pacing the room; "exactly right they were strangling you! That baby shouldn't have made it because—"_

"I_ shouldn't have made it, Draco. _**Me**_."_

_At those soft words his attention shifted from his own thoughts to her. Hermione could see the realization dawning on him, but she was already too hurt to feel anything other than her own distress. The pressures of this pregnancy (one far more difficult than her first one) mixing with Draco's worry ONLY over the baby just put her over the edge. _More like chucked me off a bloody broom! _She couldn't stop the tears from pouring down her cheeks._

_Gazing at the opposite wall, Hermione hissed, "Silly me, I thought you might feel something over me too."_

"_Don't do this. You know I love you—"_

"_I don't know, Drake. I mean from the sound of it I didn't even need to survive. Just so long as the baby was born...I guess you would have been fine."_

"_Stop it," he started, the regret evident in his voice. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, you know that's not what I meant. I lov—"_

"_You know what? I just realized that I'm once again capable of making my own medical decisions so I don't need you here. Get the hell out of here Draco."_

_Hermione didn't need to see his face to know there was pain showered all over. Too consumed by her tears, and new found anger, Hermione continued, "Get out of this room. Pick up Roxy and just go home. She should be at the house."_

"_Hermione, I'm not leav—"_

"_I don't give a fuck what you want right now. Get-__**out**__-of this room," she snarled, giving him a furious, gazing scowl._

_Draco nodded and left the room, not before telling her he loved her, loved her so much. Hermione began to sob in earnest the moment the door closed, crying into her hands and clutching her belly protectively. Yes, she loved this child and she understood Draco loved the baby as well, but...it was too much! He could have at least at the grace to acknowledge his need for her as well. She wanted comfort! She wanted to feel some protection and instead she found herself only able to give what little she could away. For the first time in a LONG time, Hermione defenseless and unguarded._

_She wiped her eyes hastily after feeling a kick in her lower abdomen. Letting out a little chuckle, she said, "You've got to be a boy. Only a man would kick me when I'm down."_

_At those words, she cried some more..._

Hermione woke up screaming again. Only this time, Draco wasn't in the room to comfort her.

"How fitting," she slurred sleepily to herself, two tears slipping from her bloodshot eyes.

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A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	19. Epiphany

_A/N: Pretty disappointed with the response from last chapter, but oh well - I know many of you think the story has been dark for far too long, but I have a reason for everything I've done. I've mentioned it before, the story has been mapped out from the beginning._

_Special thanks to: Erytha, moonkazoo, XxstarrlighttxX, xxDracoDragonxx, Aisling Malfoy, Rashel Quinn, marjorie, DCoD, ebbe04, Elven at Heart, Hotkat144, pAuLiNaA, FlameWriter008, thebfsgf, naufdude, twin-v, Ledophole, SweetandSour246, Your Imperfection, Adriana Madden, and especially Munchkin91 (good luck with school), chocolateveela (you finally get your answer in this chapter), and xmisundazt00d (I understand ALL about too much school)._

_Comment: "Big Girls do cry! Its healthy!" -Ledophole_

_I laughed pretty hard at this. Yes, big girls do cry - hell, I say we can cry all we want to! Lol, this comment made my day._

_**Warning - this chapter does contain um...a "scene"...so read with caution.**_

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**Epiphany - Chapter 19**

Draco returned to the bedroom to find Hermione looking ghastly pale and far too upset than someone should be after waking up from a dream, nightmare or not. He strode over to her quickly, sinking down on the bed, intending to draw her in his arms. Before he could put his hands on her, however, she halted his actions by asking, "Were we truly happy?"

Draco, his eyes widening in confusion and worry, answered, "Yes. I've told you about a hundred times now, yes, we were happy. Deliriously happy."

"You've said it time and time again, but...how come all I do is remember all these horrible things? How come all I remember is a time when you're being horrible to me or breaking off a marriage or...or...or fuckin' worrying more about everyone else other than me!"

She flew off the bed, her feet slamming on the floor with the force of someone who'd fallen. Her eyes were wide, scared, and confused, begging the answer to a question he didn't even know. Draco threw his face in his hands, exhaling audibly, silently voicing what his mouth could not.

"Merlin, Draco, I just don't understand this. I want to go back to my life! I want to be sixteen again!" she screamed, her voice cracking under the sudden use at such a fierce level.

"Hermione, you ne—"

"No! Don't you understand? I miss Harry and Ron! I miss my parents! I miss all these people who've died on me...I can't take it anymore, alright?! I can't take losing somebody else!"

Draco stared at her, mouth agape, heart in his throat, and nothing on his tongue. As if everything flashed before him in slow motion, it began to dawn on him just why, possibly, she reverted back to when she was sixteen. If his suspicions turned to truths, he feared it wouldn't be alright between them - even IF she did return back to the old Hermione he fell in love with; ever.

Hermione stepped out of the room, slamming the door and waking up their baby boy, leaving Draco to his thoughts in the bedroom. Nothing registered to him.

"She went back to a life where she was happy," he whispered to himself, his voice cracked; wounded. "She went back to a life where nothing bad ever happened to her. Her life was...ideal at sixteen...full of hope and wonder. A life with Potter and Weasley. I guess I'm not the number one man in her life."

Draco, though appearing calm and collected, seemed mad and hurt enough to kill.

His icy grey eyes were blazing gunmetal.

0000000

Hermione darted down the stairs dressed in a bronze nightgown, unprepared for the weather outside. She didn't bother grabbing shoes, but simply took off outside, running out onto the spongy grass and cool night air. A breeze blew her hair back, leaving her face open and unguarded against the wind, her lungs freezing as she sucked in a great gulp of frosty air.

Only when she felt the Malfoy home disappear behind her, the lights and occupants becoming a distant dream, did she drop to her knees and sob brokenly into her hands.

"It's not fair," she mumbled between her cries, her skin flushing as she made her body sick. "It's just not bloody fair."

Finally her body detested the information enough and she magnificently threw up the entire contents of her stomach. She heaved her body dry, heaved until she could no more, retching on the air until her stomach finally evened out.

Landing in a heap on the ground, smacking her bum against the spongy grass of the field, Hermione continued to cry out her outrage and cursing the gods for putting her in such a position. It just didn't seem fair after all that she'd been through. She helped retrieve the Sorcerer's stone in her first year, uncovered the creature lurking in the Chamber of Secrets during her second year, helped save Sirius her third year, stood by Harry's side during the entire Triwizard Tournament ordeal of their fourth year, fought alongside the Order of the Phoenix in her fifth year, and this year, up until the point of waking up to discover her new life, helped the Order as the force of Voldemort continued to grow. Sacrificing so much for the possibility of a good life only to discover it'd all been for nothing just didn't seem fair. Her mum and dad were dead; Harry and Ron were dead; she gave up every ambition she'd ever had just to...what? Raise a bloody family?

"It's not fair!" she screamed to the sky, cursing whoever forced this life upon her.

As if in response, rain started to fall down upon her, wetting her mass of brown curls and soaking her clothes.

_Drip...drop...drip...drip...drop...drip...drop...drip...drip...drop..._

"Oh Merlin," she breathed, her hand slowly rising in order to cover her wide open mouth. As if a switch suddenly flipped on her mind or a wand smacked her upside the head, she realized everything; a near epiphany.

She whispered, "I'm so incredibly stupid. How could I not see it? Happiness shifted and I...I did get what I wanted. I got exactly what I wanted."

Her epiphany made her realize she got _exactly_ what she wanted in life. Yes, she sacrificed herself for years and years, fighting off the most evil of people and dealing with pain. Yes, she did lose a great deal, including her parents and best friends. Yes, she studied until her mind swelled with exhaustion and practically broke her hand writing out scroll after scroll of parchment in order to better herself as an intelligent being. The sixteen-year-old Hermione knew this. Along with the realization, however, she recognized that while her new life didn't include all of this, it all hadn't been left in vain either.

Hermione Malfoy was the mother of two beautiful children - one boy, one girl - two amazing children who not only looked like her, but were brilliant, incredible little people. Hermione Malfoy was in love with a man who loved her just as fiercely and wholly as she did him. Hermione Malfoy was far different than Hermione Granger.

Hermione Malfoy was happy.

"I wanted...I wanted a good life. I d-did all that to have a bloody good life and...that's what I got!" she screamed, still sitting on the moist lawn, feeling the cold rain crashing on her body. "I have a wonderful l-life...with wonderful children...with a uh...with a wonderful husband!"

Jerking her head toward the house, Hermione stared at the place where her heart apparently fell in love. She used to believe Hogwarts would probably ingrain itself in her permanently to the point where no other place could ever become her home. Yet here stood this fabulous home, one filled in every nook and cranny with love, one she obviously cared for.

Her life didn't end up with her being some...some Ministry head leading the way, making new - better! - laws while standing alongside Harry and Ron until the end of her days. Her life consisted of keeping up with close family, making sure the house stayed in order, laughing at her children's silly antics, and...and making love to a man obviously in love with her.

"Oh my God...I've fallen in love with him."

Suddenly with a rush she couldn't quite understand rising inside her, she hastily stood and ran to the house, water sloshing all over her body.

"Draco," she called as soon as she stepped in, her feet slipping from the water.

After hearing a slight huff, she hurried into the living room to see him flipping through what looked like a photo album. His face looked tight - not from a form of concentration, but perhaps..._bitterness?_ - and his lips pursed, the rest of his body hunched over, following suit.

"Draco, I—"

"I miss my wife. I miss my wife, Hermione," he told her, his eyes still focusing on the pictures. "I can't...I miss the woman I fell in love with and...the woman who loved me back." His last words came out in a breathy murmur, the hurt, _sadness_, evident.

Hermione, though understanding his words, was too consumed on getting everything out to recognize the pain. _Besides, _she thought distractedly_, it's not like he'll be worried about it for much longer._

"That's just it, Draco. Standing before you is a woman who loves you back."

Draco finally lifted up from the pictures to see her, meeting her eyes with a crystal clarity that anything sharp could have penetrated. His mind raced about frantically, questioning whether or not everything just said was true while maintaining the notion he imagined it all, protecting himself against the disappointment.

"What are you saying?" he croaked, his hands shaking, gripping the album far tighter than he had before. With a heavy feeling in his gut and his throat feeling suddenly dry, he asked again, "What are you saying, Hermione?"

Hermione decided to forego the typical answer she'd been giving for the sixteen short years she lived. _Why not be his wife now, _she thought nervously; _if only for tonight? Let him have his wife back._ So, keeping what his wife would do, Hermione cupped his face and brought her lips down to his.

Draco's eyes were open and for a moment he stiffened, wondering what in the hell had suddenly gotten into her - the open declaration of loving him, this sudden sharp change, and even more pressing, the fact she was igniting it after admitting earlier how everything had changed since she'd been sixteen. Once he thought it over, he closed his eyes and melted into her, wrapping his arms around her body which was still standing.

Draco broke from her lips in order to grasp a hint of air before diving back into her neck, feasting off the wet, slightly chilled flesh. Hermione let her head fall back, her wet hair dripping water all over his arms, allowing his body to warm her own.

Hermione fleetingly realized she had little experience (still sixteen-years-old after all), but her body seemed to remember everything just fine. Her hands, her legs, her body heat, her mouth, all seemed to know what to do. She just went with it.

"Draco," she panted, running her hands through his silvery hair, "we uh...what about the ch-children?"

Draco realized she was right - they couldn't exactly do anything on the couch downstairs - so with an ease that would have astonished her had her body not been overtaken by lust, Draco lifted her in his arms and carried upstairs, her lips still attached to his own. Even though she weighed virtually nothing compared to him and her legs were wrapped tightly around his waist, Hermione still couldn't believe he got them both upstairs that way. He shoulder-opened the door and used magic to seal and shut it, locking it behind them. Then, with a tenderness she'd never seen before, he laid her gently on the warm, soft duvet, treating her like she was made of some precious crystal.

A swarm of butterflies flew about her stomach, flapping their wings against every part inside her as Draco slid on the bed, towering over her with great height and weight. Everything so incredibly masculine, even his smell - a deep, musky kind of smell mixed with tropical rain. Merlin, she felt drunk on the scent. His well-built and defined body made her feel small, small and yet powerful at having caused such a strong body to temporarily immobilize just by putting her hands on his skin.

"Draco," her mouth breathed on its own accord.

He cupped her face in his rugged palms and brought his head down to kiss her lips, sucking her lower lip in his mouth and rubbing his tongue along her row of bottom teeth. He straddled her body as his hands caressed her in a way she'd never felt, never dreamed any man could touch and awaken a need in her.

Draco ran his hands along her sides, past the swell of her breasts, and landed on the span of her waist, gripping her firmly.

She felt him stop, felt the hesitation in his hands, and she opened her eyes to see his gaze. His eyes begged a silent question.

She answered, "Make love to me, Draco."

Draco growled an animalistic groan before he scrunched up the fabric of her nighty and slipped it over her head, throwing the wet nightgown behind him on the floor. If it had been anyone else - hell, even if it came to her that Draco was looking at her topless form - she probably would have covered herself up instantly. Still, with his eyes sweeping over her appraisingly, clearly loving every glorious inch of her damp body, she could hardly wait for him to caress her again. She didn't need to feel shy or embarrassed with him on top of her. His near-palpable appreciation was enough.

Draco resumed the activity by capturing her mouth in a heated kiss while his hands moved along her moist skin, her flushed flesh no longer cold. Hermione moaned in his mouth when his hands made contact with her attention-deprived chest, his fingers doing things no man ever did to Hermione at sixteen.

"Draco..."

He pulled back to lift his shirt over his head, tossing it over his shoulder to land beside her night dress. The short three seconds it took for him to complete the small task felt like hours to Hermione, the loss of his body against hers caused too much agony.

"Draco...I n-need..."

"What do you need, love?" he gasped out, leaning in to suck along her collarbone and fondle her breasts.

Hermione shook her head, the sensations overpowering her mind, not allowing her to think. It was maddening; so beautifully maddening while, at the same time, being the greatest experience of her life.

"I don't know," she admitted, unsure of how to put her feelings into words.

Draco bit her ear, making her gasp, before he told, "Shh, s'alright. I know...I know, baby."

He kissed her again before removing the last piece of material from her body; pulling down her knickers, still soaked and clinging to her body.

0000000

Hermione ran her fingers over his chest as they basked in the afterglow, his left arm cradling her against him. To say they were full from exhaustion would have been an understatement.

They'd worn each other _out_.

The two finally gave over to their fatigue and collapsed against the pillows, embracing in a tangle of blankets and limbs. Light perspiration still glistened along their skin, but neither cared as they laid together.

"I never knew it could be so...idyllic," she whispered, snuggling up against him.

Draco, though his eyes were closed, smiled and said, "Trust me, love, I'm always that good."

Hermione laughed, smacking him lightly on the chest. She replied, "I guess some things never do change. You're always going to be an arrogant prat."

"Yes, but a great one in bed," he quipped, resuming the light traces with his fingers on her silky form.

Draco kissed the top of her head and looked down to see Hermione already asleep, her breathing light and comfortable. He smiled to himself before closing his eyes, both of them allowing slumber to finally come...

"_As a healer, I have to tell you to rethink this decision," said the tall man with dark hair. "I understand you want to go home, but at this stage in her pregnancy and after the incident—"_

"_I appreciate what you're saying, but it's not my choice. My wife wants to go home so I'm going to take her home," answered Draco in a clipped tone. His patience had thinned considering Hermione hadn't spoken to him in three days other than to tell him she wanted to go home. So, doing the only thing she'd asked of him, he was making sure to get her back to their place._

"_Well, I guess I can't stop you then."_

_Together they entered Hermione's room to find her already dressed and prepared to go. She stood when they came into the room and crossed her arms, a look of pure determination on her face. Draco could tell she wanted to go home and without further delay. He could see the eagerness bubbling over at the thought of getting home to their daughter._

"_You ready?" asked Draco, hoping she'd at least voice her answer. Disappointment flooded him when she nodded her head and walked past him out of the room, leaving him to feel even worse than when he arrived._

_0000000_

_Draco threw a pillow on the couch harshly, not even bothering with the blankets he'd brought out. He punched the soft material of the cushion a few times before he finally sat down and laid back on the couch, ignoring the pillow altogether. _

_He knew he'd screwed up._

_The moment her words registered to him...bloody hell, he fumed at himself for being so stupid and asinine and tactless and insensitive and...and any other way to describe his thoughtless actions. Damn it, it's not as though he wasn't thinking about her. Merlin only knows how much the woman means to him so OF COURSE he was worried over her. It's just...his voice only let out the emotions concerning their child. He temporarily forgot about her, but it hadn't been intentional._

_Not speaking to her practically made him lose his mind. Ginny thankfully had come for a few hours each day to keep her calm while Blaise looked after Roxy. The redhead usually emerged looking a little grim and flashing Draco a small little smile before reporting to him that Hermione still didn't want to see him. He would later walk in her room, speak to her for a few minutes about Roxanne, apologize, tell her he loved her, and then return home to his daughter. He felt like each time his heart clenched a bit tighter._

"_Draco."_

_He turned to his left to see Hermione standing in the doorway, her right hand on her belly, her left hand holding a pillow purloined from their marriage bed._

"_Hey, love, something wrong?" he asked._

_Hermione's eyes glanced to her left and away, not meeting his eyes, as she said, "I don't want to sleep by myself."_

_Draco sighed, pulled the blankets from the coffee table, sat his back against the armrest, and beckoned her over by patting the spot between his legs. Hermione ran over hurriedly, knocking over a picture on the side table with her belly in her haste. She plopped down and got comfortable leaning against his chest, allowing him to wrap his arms around her, contentment immediately washing over Draco._

_For several moments they didn't say anything. The awkward tension of a fight still lingered between them, but Hermione naturally sensed she needed to end it. She finally said, "I'm sorry, Draco. I know I was being a bitch at the hospital, but I was just...stressed and the hormones have got me acting crazy. I'm really sorry."_

"_Shh," he whispered in her ear, nuzzling her neck and rubbing her belly, "you've got nothing to apologize for. I didn't exactly speak like a poet and I hurt you. I'M the one who is sorry, alright?"_

_He saw her hands come up and knuckle some tears away, scrubbing lightly against her skin. Draco exhaled audibly and leaned his forehead against her neck, smelling her hair and continuing to rub her still-growing tummy. His right hand came up to move the hair away from her neck, him placing butterfly kisses along the now visible flesh. Her body shuddered from his touch._

"_Merlin, I love you. I've missed you so much, and I truly am sorry for having hurt you. You KNOW how much you mean to me. You KNOW my world begins and ends with you, love. You must or else you wouldn't be the smartest person in existence."_

_Hermione smiled in spite of herself, running her hands up and down his arms and submitting herself over to his affections. _

"_You're my wife, Hermione, and you know how possessive I am...you're _mine_. You belong to me and I will die protecting what's mine," he told her fiercely._

"_You greedy bastard," she jested with a giggle._

_Draco nodded in agreement, actually swelling with pride at her comment. It's not like he didn't already know the truth behind it._

"_I love you," he breathed against her neck, tickling the sensitive skin._

_Hermione wrapped her arms around his neck by lifting them above her head and dangling them loosely near his shoulders. She responded, "I know you do. I love you, Draco."_

_She turned her head back slightly, enough for him to grasp her chin with his right hand and pull her mouth in for a kiss. It was a soft sort of kiss, one which felt both new and so incredibly customary - their own special brand of kiss. He pushed his fingers into her thick curls and rubbed along her scalp, massaging her in every way possible. Draco hadn't forgotten the healers mentioning her need for relaxation, mentally and emotionally._

_His other hand crept up from her waist and pressed against her belly, rubbing along her stretched abdomen._

_Hermione pulled away and sighed, "I hope you don't think ill of me in regards to loving this baby. I love him so much...I can't even describe it. I guess I just got...jealous a bit. Maybe."_

_Brown eyes cast downward upon the admission, a red hue creeping along her cheeks from guilt and shame. _

_Draco shook his head and told her firmly, "Don't do this to yourself. You have nothing to feel bad about nor anything to worry over. I know you love the baby so please don't ever question yourself about it."_

_Hermione seemed placated about the issue and snuggled up beneath his chin, closing her eyes as she felt him breathe deeply._

"_Love, um, I noticed something you said."_

"_What?" asked Hermione, her eyes closed and her words partially slurred from sleep emerging._

_Draco whispered, "Him. You said you loved him, but...I mean I didn't recall anyone telling us the gender."_

"_Oh," she said with a smile, "nobody did. I just...call it mother's intuition because I think it's going to be a boy."_

_Draco smirked while his wife rolled on her side, pressed her cheek against his chest, and fell asleep in his lap, wrapped up in a warm blanket. He thought about their new baby and he just...it felt amazing. He realized then that perhaps their house needed some work. They hadn't changed much since his bachelor days and felt it time to make the area bigger. Yeah, he'd get started on it soon, but for right now...he just wanted to hold his wife. After a few minutes of rubbing her belly and caressing her sleeping face, Draco drifted into a deep sleep himself..._

The blond man in question woke with a start, his body completely relaxed and well-rested. He wracked his brain for why he felt so wonderful, shifting slightly—

"Hermione."

His beautiful wife laid against his body, her face pressed against his abdomen, her arm flung over him possessively. The smile he flashed probably could have blinded Voldemort back in his prime, so full of love and life it practically sparkled. Just holding her, feeling her with him, made him feel like hope still existed.

"You're going to come back to me, Hermione. I can feel it."

* * *

A Dream Worth Keeping _is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	20. Crucial Mistake

_**Warning - this chapter does contain um...another "scene"...so read with caution.**_

**Crucial Mistake - Chapter 20**

While Draco enjoyed dreams of his wife returning to him, Hermione's memories returned but further along the road in life. Her dreams actually were only a couple months different than her husband's...

"_Roxy, darling, can you please sit over there with your daddy," asked Hermione, her back just about ready to snap on her._

_Draco agreed and said, "Yeah, honey, come over here. Your mum needs to lay down."_

_Roxy clutched her pink bear (her special gift from Uncle Blaise) and hopped off the couch, running into her dad's open arms. He sat her in his lap and held her close while Hermione stretched out along the couch, her belly so big she looked part balloon._

"_Ugh," she grumbled, closing her eyes and clutching her stomach, "my feet hurt. How fat do they look?"_

"_They look like daddy's feet!" exclaimed Roxy, smiling over her observation._

_Hermione looked over at Draco who seemed to ashen slightly, shaking his head over his daughter's remark._

"_Oh really, Rox? They're THAT big?"_

_Nodding excitedly, Roxy moved her hands apart at the distance she thought described her mother's feet adequately. If anyone had said it other than her, Hermione no doubt would have hexed them into oblivion. All she could do at her daughter's words was smile weakly and gently cry to herself._

"_Oh, sweetheart..."_

_Draco moved Roxy to sit alone in the chair granting him the opportunity to move over to her, taking her hand and cupping her cheek._

"_Baby, she just—"_

"_I know, but it's true. (-Sniff!-) She's right. I have big feet, fat legs, jello arms, (-Sniff!-) and...and..."_

_Hermione yanked her hand from his and cried into her palms pitifully. Draco ran his hands up and down her shoulders, trying to calm her as best he could while their daughter looked on with wide eyes. Something was amiss with her mum and she didn't know what._

"_Mummy?"_

_Roxy jumped off from the recliner, padded over to her parents, and touched Hermione's feet, startling her badly. Hermione jerked back and let out a muffled cry before she realized it was just her daughter. _

"_Rox?"_

"_You have pweety feet, mama," she told her, shocking the two adults when she pressed her lips to Hermione's big toe. _

_It was as though a storm cleared only to turn into a beautiful sunset on the horizon. Hermione suddenly dried herself of all tears, a smile flittered across her face, and she beckoned Roxy to come sit with her. After attempting several times to sit up to no avail, Draco helped her lean her back against the couch and held her darling daughter close. Draco shook his head and left the room, mumbling something that sounded quite a bit like 'women' under his breath._

_0000000_

_Hermione let out a small moan as her hands clutched her stomach, her head shaking like she needed to thwart off anything else trying to hurt her. Her fingertips ran over the pain-ridden area in attempt to relax her body. Merlin, she knew that pain. Yes, she remembered it well back when she had Roxy, but why the hell did the kid have to come now? At bloody three in the morning?_

"_Draco," she whispered, placing her hand on his shoulder in order to push him slightly._

_Her husband huffed in his pillow and then turned the other way, his body desperate for some shut-eye. For several days he did not sleep seeing as Hermione's due date was practically upon them. Two more days and their kid would (well, was supposed to) be there. Finally he fell into a good, wholesome kind of sleep only to be awakened by—_

"_Draco."_

"_Hhmm?" he muffled in his pillow, not bothering to look up. Hermione felt terrible to wake him when he craved sleep, but—_fuck this, I'm hurting here.

"Draco, please..._"_

_The blond man beside her rose on his elbows and shook his head, trying to wipe away the remaining vestiges of his deep sleep. For a second he seemed confused, but it quickly dawned on him what was going on when he saw Hermione trying to get out of bed._

"_Oh no, Hermione," he muttered, jumping clear across her and standing on his feet in order to help her out, "are you alright? Is it the baby?"_

"_Yeah. I'm going into labor, Draco. Get me to Mungo's...please?"_

"_It's okay, Hermione, I've got you. I've got you so just hold on for a moment. I'm going to grab Roxy and then we'll floo right there, alright?"_

_Hermione nodded vigorously while saying, "Just hurry."_

_Draco exited the room faster than a herd of wild thestrals only to return a second later with a still sleeping Roxy in his arms. Gripping her around the waist, Draco led Hermione to the fireplace, knowing in her heart she was about to give her husband a son._

_0000000_

_One week and nine hours later, Hermione stood in her kitchen fixing up her new son's bottle. They'd only just returned home an hour prior after dealing with a terribly long, exhausting labor period, followed by a strenuous recovery at St. Mungo's. Returning home with a blue bundle clasped to her husband's chest made her feel lighter than air. The new mother of two smiled brightly as she exited the kitchen with the living room in mind, excited and tired at the same time. Hermione's smile dwindled, however, when she realized what her husband was informing their new son about._

"_...So the girls in Slytherin are always ready to jump you, but trust me, if you want a more classy yet fiery woman...go for a Gryffindor, my boy. I tell you they are the hottest—"_

"_Merlin, Draco!" she scowled, her left hand on her hip._

"_What?" he asked innocently._

_Hermione threw her hands up in exasperation, shaking the baby bottle crazily, as she told him, "He is only seven days old and already you're discussing girls with him?! Don't you think he is a bit young?"_

_Smirking, Draco stood up and walked toward his wife, placing a kiss against her temple as he replied, "Any son of mine will be a man every woman wants. It's best if I get him up to date about the whole girl thing now."_

"_You're unbelievable," she griped, handing him the bottle so he could feed their little fussy boy. "I mean, do you want the guy who marries Roxy to have a father talking that way with him?"_

"_I believe my rule is that Roxanne can date after she's married. I'm not really worried about her ever getting a husband," he quipped over his shoulder, his grin still brazen and playful. He sat back down and brought the bottle up to the boy, ready to finally feed his son for the first time._

"_Daddy! Mummy!...BABY!"_

_Roxy, dressed in pale pink overalls and pigtails, jumped from Ginny's arms to greet her parents and new baby brother as they exited the floo. Draco thought it best to keep Roxy at Blaise and Ginny's flat while he stayed with Hermione. Meaning the meeting between brother and sister had yet to occur. Until now._

"_Baby?"_

_Draco took lifted up the baby while Hermione wrapped her arms around their daughter. She walked the brown-haired girl over to observe the little tyke, the boy's eyes closed but features contorted, still slightly cranky at having been awoken from a short nap._

"_Roxanne," said Draco softly, "this is your new brother Bailey."_

"_Bailey," she echoed, her eyes mesmerized by the small child. He threw out a hand, obviously annoyed at being awoken from kip, but Roxy took care of him. She took a step forward and with affection that made Hermione gasp and Draco beam proudly, she held his hand in her own and placed a kiss on the palm (just the way her mum always did to her)._

"_It's okay, Bai...B-Ba...B. It's okay, B," she managed to get out, his name a little too hard for her to remember in its entirety._

"_Well, I guess somebody likes their new big sister," noted Hermione. Apparently so, for Bailey stopped fussing when his sister's hand made contact with his own._

_After a reunion with Ginny and several hours giving Roxy much needed attention (Hermione was paranoid about their daughter after reading so many muggle and magical books. She did not want her baby girl to feel neglected in any shape, way, or form. Draco too seemed to think it prudent to hug Roxy every chance he got), Hermione ventured upstairs to their bedroom while Draco put Roxanne to bed._

"_My sweet, sweet boy," she cooed, absolutely enthralled with the little boy in her arms. "You know what? You're going to look like your father, I know it. You'll grow into a handsome lad, but please...please, and I say this with all the love in the world for your father. Please...don't turn into the terror he is trying to make you. Don't listen to anything that dope says. Trust me, women don't want the type of boys your father has so eloquently described."_

"_Now who is giving him advice on girls?"_

_Hermione turned around to see a smirking Draco in the doorway, his light-blue shirt unbuttoned and hanging over his black sweat pants. Hermione couldn't help but think he looked positively gorgeous standing there. They hadn't even had so much as a quickie in a month and her body definitely liked the sight of Draco standing there._

_Nonetheless, she shrugged and responded, "I'm only trying to save him from a horrid future. I swear you're going to turn him into such a...a..."_

"_Slytherin?"_

"_Yes," she growled, turning around to block the baby from view. _

_A few moments later she felt his hands slide around her, his chin resting on her shoulder and gripping her tightly. The two of them stared at their son for a while, enjoying some quiet time with their new family member._

"_Let me take him so you can go change. I'm ready to get some sleep myself," he muttered, a yawn following in the wake. They both didn't expect to sleep much during the upcoming months so they needed to take all they could get._

_Hermione spent several moments peeling away bits of her clothing in sheer misery. After unbuttoning her shirt and removing the two milk pads against her nipples, Hermione stared at her enlarged chest, sighing. She felt gross in her own skin all of the sudden. She removed her pants shortly after and fell into an even deeper fit of self-consciousness. Several stretch marks grazed her stomach, some from her first pregnancy with Roxy and some brand new, making her want to gag._

"_I'm fat."_

"_What did you say, love?" asked Draco, just finishing up with putting Bailey to sleep in his crib beside Hermione's side of the bed. Hermione noticed his voice sounded a little off, almost like he was slightly peeved._

"_I said I'm fat," she informed him._

_She heard him scowl behind her followed by footsteps. He stood behind her vanity chair, his hands placed on her shoulders._

"_You are _not_ fat," _

"_Are you kidding me? Look at me!" Spreading eagle-arms, Hermione grimaced as her eyes swept over her curves, hating the extra skin she saw hanging around. _Damn it, _she thought angrily_, I thought magic would get rid of something like this. What's the bloody point of being a witch if you can't alter something such as this?

_In spite of her own disgust with her body, Draco seemed to find her every bit as delicious as the day he married her. A flash of desire flared behind his eyes, his hands kneading the knots in her shoulders and upper back. Hermione knew that look well._

"_Draco—"_

_He cut her off as he picked her up in only a pair of knickers and carried her bodily to the bed, laying her down gingerly before capturing her mouth. Hermione responded though in the back of her mind felt she shouldn't. It practically hit her on the head when she realized..._

"_Drake...the baby. We can't do this," she told him, moving her head to the side, giving him better access to her neck._

_He sucked on various locales of her flesh before he lifted up, saying, "The boy is going to have to get used to sharing you. You may be his mum, but you're my wife and darling, the boy will learn to show some consideration for what's mine."_

_Hermione laughed lightly in mirth, his words holding no real rancor yet funny all the same. _

"_Oh yes," she agreed mockingly, "you need your son to respect you."_

"_Precisely," he replied just as he pulled her knickers down her thighs, over her knees, across her calves, and off..._

_Before she could even register anything, Draco was atop her, stroking inside her back and forth, a beautiful release awakening at his every movement. He buried his face in the juncture where her neck met her shoulder, his hands caressing her tenderly, his mouth kissing along her collarbone._

_Merlin, she missed this. She missed being with her husband intimately, missed feeling his touch, missed feeling like a woman..._

"_Draco..." she panted, her body nearly there._

"_Yes, my love, let go," he urged, lifting up and kissing her mouth hungrily._

_Yes, it felt great for Hermione to let her husband have her again. It felt great to feel like the woman she was before the children. Don't get the girl wrong, she loved them - with everything in her - but it just was nice to have her husband all to herself every now and then. _

_Spent, laying together in a thin layer of perspiration, Draco continued to kiss her and feel her up, his hand palming her milk-enhanced breasts._

"_Milk never tasted so good," he quipped._

_Hermione met his eyes looking absolutely scandalized. "Draco Malfoy...you kinky, kinky man!"_

"_What can I say? Milk does a body good."_

Hermione opened her eyes to find her face pressed against Draco's left side, her nose brushing against the softness of his lean torso. Shaking her head lightly and trying to wear down the last remaining bits of sleep, Hermione lifted up to see him staring down at her, pushing some of her hair back out of her eyes.

"Hey," she greeted, her eyes half-lidded from sleep.

He smiled and replied, "Morning, love."

Hermione stretched out and yawned towards the window, her breasts becoming bare as the sheet slipped off her some. Draco eyed her appreciatively, enjoying her lack of self-consciousness in front of him. It reminded him of his own wife.

"Yeah, I could get used to this," she murmured, snuggling up close to him again.

Draco had missed this. He missed waking up in the middle of the night to make love to his wife. He missed carrying her up from their living room, ripping off her clothes, and experiencing her body to the fullest. He missed smelling her hair and taking showers with her and...and...and just bloody talking to her! He missed feeling like he was half of a partnership, half of a parent set, and half of a couple. Without Hermione, as cliche as it sounded to him, he felt incomplete; missing a piece of himself.

Holding her here, now, fully and completely...he could fool himself into thinking she'd come back to him.

"You were magnificent last night," he breathed into her hair, his right hand creeping over her abdomen to clutch at her hip.

Hermione crawled up his body, sensually planting kisses across his chest, along his collarbone, up his throat, and landed upon his mouth, leaving just a fraction of space between hers and his. Draco sighed, his hands spasmodically gripping her waist, his breathing quickening in his aroused state.

In a husky voice, she whispered, "Let's hope these nights continue."

Draco felt like a newlywed all over as he grabbed Hermione, threw her down beneath him, and kissed her passionately.

0000000

"I'm here to see Ginny Weasley," said Hermione politely, smiling at the woman in the front.

With blonde hair pulled back in a high ponytail and dimples grazing her plump cheeks, Hermione distinctly thought of Susan Bones from Hufflepuff. Snapping out of her daze, the woman waved for Hermione to take a seat in a booth near the back, telling her the 'boss' would come to meet her soon.

Before long Ginny arrived, engulfed her in a hug, and took a seat across from her, a happy glow about her.

"You're looking fabulous," noted Hermione.

Nodding, Ginny agreed, "Motherhood agrees with me. My goodness, I'm in love with Autumn. This is only the second day we've been parted and I'm still freaking out over it."

"Blaise with her?"

"Yes," said Ginny pensively, "and I think he loves her more than he loves me. I don't mind though. She is the only one he can love more than me."

The two laughed, giggling much like they did back when they'd spend their summers together at the Burrow or when they'd enjoy the occasional fun time at Grimmauld Place. Thinking about it almost made Hermione's stomach clench in sadness. _Almost._

"You wanted to talk to me? I got your owl...sounds serious." Ginny appeared worried, borderline grim. Hermione sent her an owl early in the morning saying she'd stop by, that she needed to discuss a few new..._interesting incidents_ that occurred between her and Draco.

Smiling mischievously, Hermione admitted, "I slept with him."

Hermione's biggest regret to date was not having a camera on hand to photograph the look on Ginny's face. Aside from her pretty eyes darting out of her pale face, a face which ashened upon comment, her mouth dropped down to land flat on the table. Exaggerations aside, Ginny took on the face of inferi, or someone who'd been put under an Imperious. Hermione simply waited for each word to set in, waiting for Ginny to make the first move.

"Y-you...you...what?!"

Shaking her head slightly, Hermione indulged her friend, "I don't know what came over us. One moment we're yelling at each other and the next he's shagging me senseless."

"Tell me EVERY bloody detail woman!"

Giving an airy laugh, Hermione relayed the superficial gist of what went down, leaving out more personal, intimate details she knew without a shadow of a doubt that her older self would frown upon others knowing. Ginny listened without interruption, her eyes still bulging and her ears burning from the excitement. After Hermione finished, Ginny fanned herself, blushing over her friend's steamy tale.

"Well...what does this mean for you two? I mean...you're still not completely you," Ginny said sadly. Hermione didn't miss the melancholy tone in her voice.

Hermione sighed and answered, "Look, I know that this is hard for you. For all of you, but I mean...Gin, I can't help this. I don't know if my mind will ever return, but I think I'm proving that I'm trying to make this work. Even if I don't get my memory back, I've accepted this as my life. And I...I think I love my life. I love him."

"You love Draco?" asked Ginny, her voice soft; knowing.

Hermione couldn't believe it herself. Well beyond the whole arch-nemesis turned husband thing, it wasn't Draco which astounded her. Just being in love was an incredible experience for the Gryffindor. She'd never been in love in her life. Aside from a school girl crush on Ron most of her life and a star-struck infatuation with Victor Krum, boys were the furthest thing from her mind. She knew once school ended she'd have the opportunity to date, to pursue love in her life. Love and future coincided with one another in Hermione world.

This though...this just seemed unreal for her. Being in love felt overwhelming, especially when she knew the other party loved her just as much, more even. Loving Bailey and Roxy was different - natural, even, but loving Draco...obviously it took more work, more time, and more acceptance. Now she had him, had all of him, and she loved him. Bloody hell, she loved him.

"Yeah," she finally answered, "I love him. I really love him."

"Good. It's about time somebody did," the redhead replied cheekily.

It didn't take long for them to exchange hugs and then venture out onto the streets of Diagon Alley, going into the various shops in search of a few things for their kids respectively ("Baby clothes are too cute for words! Besides, Blaise says I don't spoil Autumn enough.") as well as a few more...racy items for Draco and Blaise. That they themselves would wear. But the boys would like. Like very much. _Very, very_ _much._

"What color do you think I should wear?" asked Ginny, holding a purple pair of knickers against her pants before switching to blue. "Eek...it's not like it will matter. I'm still a total cow so I'm sure Blaise will run for the hills of Hogwarts once he sees me."

"I doubt out," smirked Hermione, thinking of her dream from the night before; "believe me."

"Well then which color?"

"Neither. I think you should go with green," replied Hermione thoughtfully, grabbing a sexy little number and placing it against Ginny's frame. "Works both ways; goes with your hair and Slytherins love seeing their girls in their colors."

Ginny burst out laughing, enjoying feeling like a girl again, feeling like she had her friend back.

"Oh yes!" exclaimed Ginny, yanking Hermione by the hand and pulling her toward a rack near the back of the store, a dark shadow cast around, illuminated only by a few low level candles.

Hermione made a face before saying, "I don't know. Isn't that a bit naughty."

"He's a man. He'll love it...you okay?"

Hermione's attention had turned toward the backroom itself, a flash of something having caught her eye.

"I could have sworn I saw someone," she whispered, an uneasy feeling in her gut. Shaking her head, "I guess it's just a glare. You were saying?"

Ginny looked back there herself, taking a few moments to check everything over. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Turning back to her friend, she continued, "Any man would love this. Hell, I'd be getting this for Blaise if I didn't look like such a hog."

"Gin, you're beautiful," protested Hermione, her eyes wide as she stared at the white teddy in Ginny's hands. "You'd look so much better in that than I would."

"Are you kidding me?! I'm a redhead...we don't pull off white too well. Tend to look like a burning candle, but Draco loves you in white. Calls you his angel."

"That is something that I don't remember. Curse me...I do want my memory to come back. I mean...I love Draco, but having it back would be...I don't know."

Giving her a smile both warm and understanding, entirely motherly, Ginny told her, "You're memory will come back. You're going to come back to all of us, but until then...you're going to show this little number off for Draco. On my dime too so get your ass on the broom and let's go."

Ginny swung a comforting, friendly arm over Hermione's shoulder, the two girls laughing as they paid for their "gifts" for the men in their lives. They didn't know about the third individual in the back room with them. They didn't know that someone lurked in the darkness, couldn't be seen by the lack of light from the three measly candles.

A woman stood in the back, a silver necklace around her neck, the object which caused the glare in the first place. She'd been standing there listening to everything the women spoke about. Subsequently, she learned about Hermione's latest problem.

"Well, well, well...little Miss Perfect has lost her memory. Hmm. I think we'll be able to use that tiny bit of information to our advantage."

Hermione made a crucial mistake. Someone discovered her current weakness.

In so doing, she told the Malfoy family weakness.

Things were about to get bad.

_VERY bad_.

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A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	21. A Familiar Face?

_A/N: Sorry everyone! School and writer's block made this chapter difficult to write. Now that I've got some creativity sparking up again, the next update should be coming soon. Again, thanks for sticking with me :)_

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**A Familiar Face? - Chapter 21**

"How was your little date with Ginny yesterday?" asked Draco, a Daily Prophet in his hands, his eyes on Hermione.

Hermione smirked, her thoughts drifting toward the lingerie bag upstairs. Something about just thinking about getting into that little number made her feel hot all over, a blush creeping high on her cheekbones. Acting nonchalant, she answered, "Fine. We just chit-chatted. You know, girl talk."

"No, I don't know," he replied, turning the page, "because Blaise and I don't regularly indulge ourselves in girl talk."

Rolling her eyes, Hermione handed him his cup of tea while taking her own, sitting down in the chair next to his. They welcomed the silence between them. Nice silence. Peaceful silence—

"MUMMY!"

Chuckling to herself, Hermione called out, "Yes, Rox? What is it?"

"ARE WE EVER GONNA LEAVE TO SEE AUTUMN AND GET ICE CREAM?!"

Shaking his head, Draco answered, "We'll all be leaving very soon. And stop yelling across the house."

"OKAY!"

Hermione couldn't suppress the giggles, laughing at Draco while he rolled his eyes at his daughter, muttering under his breath, "Nobody ever listens to me."

"It's only because you let those kids walk all over you," she told him, smirking as she lifted the cup to her lips.

"So says the one who snuck them both an extra cookie last night," he replied, Hermione snorting and spraying her drink everywhere. He laughed to himself, pulling the paper back up to read.

These were the moments he missed most with his wife. He missed the little things, the small things where everything else just disappeared. No problems existed outside of the newspaper in his hands and he could just be a guy very much in love with his wife. His mind drifted to the day when he last saw the real Hermione...

"_I swear, that girl is going to grow up exactly like you!" she yelled, stomping all around the kitchen, muttering under her breath wherever she went. The fluffy green fabric of her slippers stood out against the light-colored floor, even with her wearing what Draco called, 'her insufferable blue robe.'_

_Peaking up behind his paper, Draco watched her hastily pour herself some tea, rethink her decision, pour it out, and head directly for some strong coffee. Naturally he knew what had her knickers in a knot, but, being the loving dad he was - and rather proud papa! - he feigned indifference, pretending he knew nothing of the incident this morning._

"_What's wrong, love? Come tell your loving husband what's the matter."_

_Okay, maybe he wasn't trying too hard. Why bother? Hermione would see right through him anyway. Precisely why—_

"_Oh, don't act like you don't know, Draco Malfoy," she snapped, rearing her gaze on the man at the table. "I know you put her up to it, you evil Slytherin!"_

"_You're going all house on me, Hermione? I somehow believed you were above such petty acts," he teased, wanting to get a rise out of her._

_Slamming the coffee pot down on the counter and quickly adding a hint of sugar, Hermione turned around, leaning her body against the cool, ivory surface, glaring daggers at her husband. Draco tried with all his might to keep himself from doing it yet he failed; the smile creeped up quicker than a 'lumos' cast._

"_You find this hysterical, don't you?" she asked calmly._

_Draco, suddenly suspicious with her change in attitude, answered, "Darling, I still am not entirely sure what has gotten you so worked up. I was just sitting here, minding my own business when you barreled in like—"_

"_Like the broom," she interrupted, "your daughter just set off upstairs. The one I tripped over as I walked out of the bedroom making me land on a pile of pillows. The one she isn't suppose to use unless under the supervision of either her mother or father. Kind of like that?"_

"_It is a toy broom, Hermione," noted Draco, smiling sweetly at her._

_Hermione sighed, took a sip of her coffee, and then set the cup down with a clink. Folding her arms over her chest, she asked, "So did you plan it all by yourself or did she add something to the scheme?"_

"_Scheme?" He mocked hurt, throwing his hand against his chest, dropping his mouth in aghast. "You wound me, Hermione. You just stuck your wand through my heart."_

"_The pillows were a nice touch. You, being an idiot, probably still have it in your head that you're getting laid tonight so you didn't want me getting hurt. You told Roxy to send her broom off and by the way, what have I told you about encouraging her to use magic? She isn't of age and even using small doses of it can have detrimental effects and...Screw it, I'll yell at you for that later."_

_Draco let out a healthy chuckle, muttering, "I look forward to it, honey. Again."_

_Pulling a face, she continued, "Anyway, you had her set off that blasted broom just as I walked out, consequently making me fall on my face."_

"_Into a bed of pillows," he offered with a smile._

"_Yes, thank you, into a bed of pillows," she gave in, shaking her head. "Now, did she contribute to this _scheme _at all?"_

_Draco took a moment to go over his options. If he told the truth, he'd certainly get his sneaky little girl in trouble seeing as she thought up the broom idea. Draco came up with the details, but the evil plan had been concocted by his five-year-old girl. However, if he didn't rat his daughter out then he risked Hermione's wrath at full, blunt force. Being the dad he was, Draco decided to take the fall. _

"_I did it all. Your daughter had nothing to do with it."_

"_So she did have something to do with it," said Hermione, more to herself than to Draco. "That means Bailey and I will be getting even with both of you."_

_Draco's ears shot up, his eyes going wide. "Bailey? You're getting our son involved in this?"_

"_If you and our daughter conceived a plan together than I most definitely will be bringing in Bailey. One, we can't leave him out. You know Bailey likes to do whatever his sister is doing. And two, Bailey's age makes it even. I'm smarter and so much better when it comes to this sort of thing so him being younger makes it more fair."_

"_Oh really?" Draco's smile grew as he stood up, striding across the kitchen to meet his smirking wife. "You're smarter? You're better at this? Remember, as you just so happened to bring up earlier...I am a Slytherin. We're known for being conniving and devious."_

_Hermione wrapped her arms around his shoulders as he grasped her waist, their bodies brushing up against one another. His eyes fluttered as she whispered against his ear, "Love, I'm a Gryffindor. We're known for our nerve."_

_Draco, ignited by her words, dipped Hermione low and kissed her thoroughly. They broke apart moments later from the sounds of 'eww' shrieked behind them..._

"Draco?"

"Huh?"

Shaking his head and clearing himself of his thoughts, he realized he'd blanked out for a few moments, stupidly ignoring his wife.

"I'm sorry, love, I sort of...fell into a daydream. What were you saying?" Now he sounded genuinely interested.

"I was just saying how we should probably get ready. Ginny said we'd meet up around eleven and getting the children ready will be a challenge as you've frequently said."

Draco nodded while he yawned, throwing his hand over his mouth. He hadn't been getting much sleep due to Hermione's new sleeping arrangements. Not that he minded, but it reminded him of when they first started dating; the lack of sleep eventually wearing him down. He remembered in their first year together how the slow lovemaking only heightened in each passing day together. Draco would often leave his flat for work, letting Hermione linger in his bedroom, her body recovering from the previous night's assault...

_Draco tried to gulp, his mouth stuffed to the brim with mashed potatoes, his heart pounding harder than it had in a long time. Hermione sat across the booth, an alluring smile playing her lips, her eyelashes fluttering toward him. Draco knew the smile and knew precisely why she currently grinned like a Cheshire cat._

"_It's not going to work," he told her, grabbing his drink and sucking it down dry. He leaned out and beckoned a waitress, "Miss, can you refill this please?"_

_The woman took his glass allowing him to lean back. In turn, his movement made Hermione's foot, the same foot which had been rubbing his inner thigh sensually for ten minutes, move even higher, creeping closer to a certain part of his anatomy._

"_What are you talking about, Draco?" she asked innocently._

"_That...that foot of yours is not going to work on me, alright?" He tried to sound gruff, sound strong, but the final crack on 'alright' ruined any chance of her buying it._

"_Sure, love. You've got me convinced so I guess that this—" her leg began moving softly over his upper thigh, making him bite his lower lip—"won't affect you at all."_

"_What has got you so randy?" he asked in a low voice, his eyes nearly popping out of his head._

_Shrugging, Hermione answered, "I was leaving the Ministry today and passing the shop where I bought your cologne. I walked in to pick you up a bottle of shampoo since I stole the rest of yours this morning and I...caught a whiff of your scent...I haven't stopped thinking about you since."_

"_Damn it, Hermione," he sighed, shaking his head._

"_Sorry?"_

_Letting out a heavy exhalation, he told her, "I had a long day. I thought we were just going to curl up on the couch and relax tonight."_

_Hermione suddenly looked repentant, slowly withdrawing her foot from his lap. Draco smirked and grabbed her leg, pulling her around the booth to sit directly beside him. Before her confusion set in, he said, "But now I have very different plans."_

_She smiled up at him right before he captured her lips in a deep, carnal kiss, letting his hand slide into her thick hair. Her hand rested upon his stomach making him groan into her mouth—_

"_Ahem!"_

_Draco broke the kiss and tossed her a wink before he faced the waitress who returned with his drink._

"_Can you bring the check, please?"_

"_Yes, sir."_

_The witch smiled at the famous couple, a slight pang of envy at Hermione for sitting with one of the most eligible bachelors of the wizarding world. Figures someone like her would get him._

_Draco turned back to see Hermione finishing up her dinner quietly, her happiness evident. He loved seeing her like this. Loved seeing her all lit up, full of life, and loving him. Hermione made his world go 'round and he hoped it never stopped._

_He grabbed the check, thankful for once that Hermione didn't throw him vicious glances at not allowing her to pay; her mind far too consumed about all the naughty things she planned to do to him in a few, short minutes. Standing up, she halted his movements for a second, keeping her lips a whisper away from his own. Speaking directly into his mouth, she said, "By the time I'm through with you, you'll wish you'd spent the night relaxing."_

_Feeling his trousers suddenly constrict, Draco grabbed her arm and practically yanked her out of the restaurant, his long legs striding to reach the apparation point._

_As soon as they were outside of his property, Draco literally hauled her into his arms and threw her over her shoulder, carrying her bodily to his house. Hermione laughed as he walked quickly, going fast yet making sure he would not fall. Once they reached the door he used magic to open it, slid through, and Hermione sealed it, their interactions in sync; complete harmony._

"_You have no idea, Hermione," he panted, partly from the quick pace, partly from anticipation; "how tired I am."_

_He pushed her up against the door, saving her head from a hard smack by using his hand as a barrier. Draco kissed her soundly, assaulting her mouth with a fervor most couldn't even imagine the world's last living hero could take. Hermione took it, however, and enjoyed it to boot._

"_I've been working (-kiss!-) so bloody hard (-kiss!-) and I thought maybe (-kiss!-kiss!-) we could just relax (-kiss!-) for once," her told her, his hands beginning to grope the girl through her clothes._

_Oh God...he should have known the thoughts on her mind based on how she dressed for the evening. She knew Draco absolutely loved her shoulders, as odd as it sounded, and played up the angle by wearing an off the shoulder, dark blue shirt. The shirt revealed both her creamy shoulders to his eyes and just a hint of her belly. She'd paired the daring top with the muggle jeans he loved on her. And her bloody heals! Merlin, she looked like a casual goddess._

"_I'm on (-kiss!-) to you," he whispered against her mouth, his hands yanking slightly on the shirt._

_Hermione, panting just as much as him, questioned, "Are you?"_

_Moving his lips to her neck, his hands moved down, brushing just barely against the bare skin of her belly, making her shiver._

"_Yes, love, I am."_

_There was no more talking after that..._

_0000000_

_Draco woke up early the next morning, his mind tired but his body completely relaxed. The warm, sleepy presence next to him in bed made a quiet sound beside him, snuggling up closer into the crook of his arm. Kissing the top of her head, he stretched his body out, his toes curling against the loose sheets and heavy duvet. Nuzzling her sweet smelling hair with his nose, he gave her one last kiss against her cheek before he rose and began getting ready for the day._

_Leaning his forehead against the hard tiles in his shower, Draco closed his eyes, trying not to remember the night before. If he started to think about it then he'd never leave the house. Shaking his head, he grabbed for the soap, his heart jolting when he felt a hand slip into his own._

"_Whoa, someone is jumpy," she laughed, slipping her hands over his shoulders from behind, leaning into his back._

"_Well, I'm just surprised. My other, smarter, prettier girlfriend just took off," he told her, turning around to face her with a grin._

_Smiling naughtily at him, Hermione began to soap up his body, taking the opportunity to linger on a few key parts of his anatomy. She whispered against his wet skin, "I guess then if you have this other girlfriend, you won't be needing my services any longer..."_

_Dropping the soap, she turned to leave. Yet, before she took another step, Draco gripped her around the waist and pulled her against him._

"_I don't think so, love. My other girlfriend may be smarter and prettier, but you are by far the best in bed."_

"_At least I win at something," she told him before he turned her in his arms and kissed her deeply..._

_After their shower lasted twice as long as it should have, Draco laid Hermione to rest in his bed while he dressed himself for work. Right before he left, he bent down and kissed her on the forehead, smiling as the girl slept off their most recent interaction._

"_I'll see you tonight, love," he whispered against her ear._

_Sighing sleepily, she murmured, "Night, love."_

_Shaking his head, Draco grabbed his jacket and headed off to work, tired but bloody happy..._

"Daddy!"

Draco looked down to see Bailey fully dressed and ready to go have some fun with his family. Yanking on Draco's pants, he lisped, "It's time to bo!"

"Time to go, son," corrected Draco, lifting his boy up into his lap. Roxy and Hermione joined them, his two lovelies looking perfect as always. Finally, after a morning of reminiscing, moments passing where he moved on auto-wand, the Malfoy family was ready to go.

"So we're meeting up at Ginny's restaurant?"

Giving his head the slightest incline, smiling at the beauty before him, Hermione leaned forward and pressed a kiss against his cheek.

"Hey!" shouted Roxy, "I thought we were going to the ice cream parlour."

Draco, smiling inwardly at his daughter's pouting expression, told her firmly, "Your mother and I will take you there later, but we'll reconsider it if you don't suck that lip back in your mouth."

Roxanne's jutted lip moved with lightning speed, the girl immediately biting down on it and standing tall at rigid attention. Draco, satisfied with her change in attitude, picked up Bailey while Hermione took the girl's hand. Together, the family left to meet with the newest parents of a gorgeous baby girl.

0000000

"You should have seen her, mate," said Blaise, his face glowing with a permanent smile, "I mean you should have seen her. Okay, so we were sitting in the living room and Ginny had been nursing her for a few minutes. She wanted to check on dinner so she handed her over to me and you guys won't believe it...Autumn laughed! She actually laughed as she looked up at me!"

"I'd laugh to if I had to stare up at your mug," quipped Draco, snickering as he took a sip of his butterbeer.

Normally Blaise would have given back an equally snotty retort, but the man, too consumed over the joyous thought, continued, "and I know it was a laugh. I know it!"

"And I told Blaise," began Ginny, currently holding the girl they were discussing, "that she's too young. It's far too early for her to be laughing."

"I don't care what those ruddy books say! I know a laugh and I know our girl...she was laughing," replied Blaise, folding his arms over his chest, reminding Hermione of Roxy.

The two couples chatted while the two tots were quiet. The baby, however, began to throw a fit over all the attention and need for a new nappy. Ginny coddled her for a moment, rubbing her back and rising to her feet.

"I'm going to go change her. I'll be back in a bit," she said over her shoulder, smiling at her new daughter as they walked into the back room.

Hermione took the opportunity to say, "Why don't you boys continue to bicker over Autumn's..."sound" while I take these two for their ice-cream. They've been so patient."

Bailey and Roxy looked toward their father hopefully, eagerly anticipating their delicious treats. Draco sighed, not particularly keen with the idea of them going off, but it was just Diagon Alley. The security there - since the incident, at least - had been amazing. Plus, Hermione was capable; even for a sixth year.

Giving in, Draco said, "Alright. Just...be careful and come right back."

Leaning down and pressing an intense, yet brief, kiss to Draco's mouth, she took the two by the hands and led them out of the restaurant. Draco watched them leave longingly, feeling the need to chase after them and go with them all himself, but before long Blaise was going on again about Autumn; and Draco gave his attention to his friend.

Hermione, on the other hand, smiled all the way to Florean Fortescue's Ice Cream Parlour, loving the sight of seeing it open again. During her sixth year (present year, in her mind), she'd remembered the shop closing after Fortescue went missing. Draco told her earlier how a descendant of Florean took over the store and it had been thriving ever since.

"What flavor do you want?" she asked, kneeling in front of Bailey. The toddler looked pensive for a moment, as if the various choices were leading him into a serious dilemma, making Hermione laugh. "Love, do you need some help deciding?"

"I like...bocolate...and I like...rawberry."

"Strawberry?" asked Hermione for clarification.

"He likes raspberry," muttered Roxy absentmindedly, her tiny hands pressed against the glass. "Miss Delila, what should I get this time?"

Hermione watched as the plump woman behind the counter with dark hair tied in a messy knot on her neck, smiled at her daughter and suggested, "You've tried every flavor, Roxy! Except..."

"Except what?!" Roxy's eyes were wider than galleons as she stared up at the woman. "Please, tell me!"

"Well, I have a new flavor that I know you'll love, young lady. It's called Super Crunchy Magic Delight."

"Super Crunchy Magic Duh-light?"

After the affirmation, Roxy turned to her mother and asked, "Mummy, can I get that flavor? I've already tried every other one, you know."

Brushing her fingers through her hair affectionately, she answered, "Sure and thankfully the other one decided he wanted bocolate."

Laughing at the family, Delila went on to scoop out a generous amount for each of her customers. Roxy and Bailey said enthusiastic expressions of gratitude before Hermione paid and sat them down in the outside seating of the parlour. The three of them chatted over the most unimportant things, a contentment swelling Hermione's heart, before everything changed...

"Hermione!"

Hermione turned around in her seat, bewilderment risen all over her face. She might have been alarmed at the booming voice calling her in such a manner, but the amusement in her tone made everything seem comfortable.

A young woman with short blonde hair and a pretty face approached her, holding out her arms as though to hug her. _Do I know her? _she wondered;_ is this an old friend? She obviously knows me, but maybe I should take the kids..._

"Hermione, dear, how are you?" asked the woman, suddenly looking puzzled over Hermione's lack of etiquette; eyes saying,_ why on earth are you not hugging me back?_

Being the kind person she was, Hermione finally submitted into the assumption that she knew this woman and hugged her, smelling an odd mixture of sweet berries and smoke. _Smoke? Perhaps she is a smoker herself. Maybe her boyfriend or husband..._

"Hello?"

"My goodness, it's been a while. Now, before you say anything, I know I was suppose to owl you for lunch. Merlin knows how I meant to, but I just got so caught up with home. You know how crazy it can be with having a three-year-old running around."

"I definitely can," replied Hermione, hoping the woman would unconsciously reveal her identity so she, herself, didn't need to ask. What would she say? Nobody knew about her memory loss other than her family and very close friends.

"Anyway, Dan and I would love to catch up with you and Draco. Do you think we could meet up for dinner one night? I'd love to see the surprised look on his face when he sees Dan. I mean, he still hasn't seen Dan's new haircut. Blue certainly suits my husband."

"Blue?"

"Blue, yes. You saw him, Hermione. Remember?" The pretty blonde suddenly looked a little confused and perturbed by Hermione's reaction. She sensed the girl's uncertainty and decided to settle everything.

"Sorry, yes. Where has my head gone? Well, I'm sure Draco and I would love to have dinner with you sometime soon."

The girl smiled, obviously not put off by the misunderstanding before. "It was at our place last time so you know the drill. I guess we'll meet up sometime soon? Maybe I should come over tomorrow and plan it out with you."

Hermione felt a little overwhelmed. The woman was rather pushy, wasn't she? She figured, however, that if they did this often, she might as well go along, right? "Er, yes. Just use the floo and come over tomorrow. We'll figure it out then."

Tilting her head, appearing excited at the prospect, the woman said, "Thank you so much for the...invitation. Best not mention this to Draco though. Hopefully I'll be in and out tomorrow so I won't have to see him. I'd love for the dinner to be a surprise. It really has been far too long for all of us."

Nodding, Hermione submitted and hugged the woman again, this time more pleasantly, before quickly saying goodbye.

Hermione knew the woman.

She HAD to know the woman.

Right?

Truth was she did know the woman walking away from her, smirking all the while.

If she'd seen the smirk then she would have known.

Hermione didn't know and, consequently, just invited a death eater's daughter into her home.

A home her family would soon return to.

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A Dream Worth Keeping _is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine_.


	22. A Bloody Brook

**A Bloody Brook - Chapter 22**

"You've been awfully quiet," noted Draco.

Hermione glanced up from her plate to meet his eyes, those beautiful grey eyes of his. Like silver steel, they sparkled whenever the light hit them. Hermione could drown in those eyes of his.

"Hermione?"

"Sorry," she apologized, shaking her head to clear the jumble of thoughts whirling about. Turning off her thoughts never came naturally, but this particular night caused her extreme discomfort. A mixture of worries regarding a feeling she'd had ever since taking the children to the charming ice cream parlour, and what she wanted, so desperately wanted, to do with Draco upstairs.

"Did something happen?" he asked, unable to hide his worry.

Figuring he'd fuss himself into a frenzy, Hermione decided to keep the problem to herself. Eventually everything would work out, she knew, especially since one of the problems would hopefully be assuaged tonight.

"Nothing happened. I'm fine."

The sigh he let out alerted her of his hesitancy to believe her, but he appeared to resign himself into letting it go. Silence reigned at the dining room table, the children happily feasting on their dinner while their parents each battled their thoughts.

"Draco?"

"Hmm?" he replied, his eyes cast downward.

Licking her lips and steeling herself away from chickening out, Hermione chocked out, "Can you finish up with the kids? I kind of have something to do before bed and I um...need to get started now."

He arched his eyebrows, finding flaws in her explanation. He asked, "What exactly do you need to get started on?"

Standing up and levitating her dishes to the sink, she whispered slyly, "It involves the attire I plan on wearing to bed."

If she could have captured his expression on camera, the photo no doubt would have earned priority for the front page article in the Daily Prophet. She watched him choke down the rest of his pumpkin juice and wipe his mouth off with the back of his arm, looking sixteen all over again.

"Draco—"

"I will take care of the children. You. Upstairs. _Now_."

Hermione smirked and had the gall to curtsey toward him, which only managed to make him inwardly growl.

"Is mum in trouble?" asked a curious Roxy, noticing her parent's odd display of behavior.

Draco loved her for that inquisitiveness, for that innocent wonder, and her ability to notice any oddity. Rubbing the back of her hair, her ponytail spilling out from the side of her head, Draco answered, "In a manner of speaking. Give your mum a kiss goodnight."

Hermione smiled as she bent down and both Roxy and Bailey planted wet little kisses all over her cheeks. She kissed them both right back, gave Draco a chaste kiss on the lips, winked, and then walked to the bedroom, prepared to show Draco the time of his life.

Draco, meanwhile, finished up dessert with his family, listening intently as his children babbled on and on about their new (pseudo) sister Autumn.

"And she's so little, daddy. Did you see her? She could prob'ly fit in your hand!" Roxy beamed up at him, a look Draco would never tire of.

"Probably, Rox, and yes, I can hold her in one hand," replied Draco smugly.

Roxanne looked pensive for a moment before she said, "Well, mum does say you have big hands. It's kind of like cheating."

Draco laughed, which, in turn, made Bailey laugh. Bailey, the baby of the family, always laughed whenever his father did. He knew Bailey looked up to him, wanted to do everything his daddy did, and he found no qualms with it what-so-ever. He loved having his children this way. He hoped the relationship never changed - that they'd continue to think of him as their hero for the rest of their lives.

"You're right, pretty one. What do you say we head upstairs for a bit and we'll play one of those board games your mum got you. Then it's off to bed with you."

Draco never wanted to give this up. He'd taken off weeks and weeks to stay home and take care of the kids due to Hermione's current condition. He made a vow to himself then that even when Hermione, his Hermione, returned to him, he would spend more time at home with his family. Screw working all the time - it's not as though money was an issue for the Malfoy family. He'd work less hours and spend more time with his kids and Hermione. He never wanted to give this up.

He remembered a few years back, several actually, when someone else questioned him on whether or not he'd be there for Hermione...

"_You look beautiful, you know that," he whispered, popping a grape into her mouth, letting his fingers linger on the soft skin of her cheek._

_Hermione smiled up at him, the sour flavor of the fruit dissolving on her tongue, her own hand lifting up to hold his own. Kissing his palm, she leaned into his hand, closing her eyes at the feeling._

"_So beautiful," he whispered, leaning in to brush his lips against her creamy neck._

"_And you, good sir, are incredibly charming," she laughed, pulling back to meet his eyes. Planting a kiss on the tip of his nose, she turned to their lunch. "We're never going to finish this."_

"_Oh come on, Hermione, it's my day off. Can't you be a good, loving girlfriend and let me take you back to my place so I can rip off your clothes and have my wicked way with you? You know, I haven't gotten any in a few days."_

"_Too bad you don't have a loving girlfriend," she quipped._

"_Oh I do. I'm just going to have to get rid of you first so I can go get my girl. She gets jealous like you wouldn't believe."_

_Smirking, Hermione replied, "Well, she can have you. You're not worth the problem, babe."_

"_I'll give you a problem," he growled, pulling her to him, the blanket beneath them scrunching up as he dipped her low, Hermione laughing all the while. Pinning her small body beneath his, Draco kissed her long and hard, lifting her arms above her head._

_So caught up in their embrace the two forgot where they were. Truth be told, they didn't care. They were in a common area of Hogsmeade, an open field where families played together, young teenagers snogged, and older witches and wizards strolled, hand in hand. Hermione had convinced Draco the night before to spend the day there, picnicking on a soft blanket and for Draco, discussing the possibility of taking a trip to get away from everything. Together._

_Hermione lifted up her hands and fisted them in his hair, forcing him to groan into her mouth—_

"_Hermione?!"_

_The two broke apart, jerking fiercely as though caught by Filch after midnight at Hogwarts; Draco burying his face in her neck; she peering over his shoulder to see who called out._

"_Gin?"_

_Her favorite girlfriend stood before her, arms crossed over her chest and red hair thrown into a high ponytail._

"_You said you were seeing someone, but...you didn't tell me this."_

"_Draco," she whispered in his ear, "I need you to get up. Now."_

_Huffing gently, kissing her neck again for good measure, he lifted up from her body, falling back on his hands and frowning at the interruption. Taking notice to the person disturbing their enjoyable, peaceful outing together, he realized he recognized the girl. Ginny Weasley, Hermione's best friend, and someone he feared greatly. What would happen if he didn't get the approval from this girl?_

_Hermione scrambled up, sitting down on her knees and maintaining a good distance between herself and her boyfriend. Ginny smirked, though it disappeared just as quick as it arrived._

"_I'm waiting."_

"_Ginny, I was um...do you know Draco?"_

_The redhead let her gaze linger on the man, him smiling wanly toward her, unsure of how to approach her._

"_We've met yes, but never under great circumstances. In truth, Hermione, I always thought your relationship with him was more rocky than my own."_

_Draco could see the girl testing both Hermione and him, gauging their reactions and purposefully trying to start something, to see it pan out. It was very Slytherin of such a noble Gryffindor. He was already starting to like this girl._

"_Ginny...um, it's a long story," mumbled Hermione, wringing her hands together, uncomfortable in her position. She was still crouched on the ground, Draco remaining silent as if following her lead. _

"_Well, it appears I'm not interrupting anything of real importance and I only came here to meet up with my mum, Fred, and George at the Three Broomsticks, so we've got time. Why don't I just situate myself right here? You've got so much to tell me."_

_Hermione appeared mildly ill, Draco perplexed, and Ginny amused, sitting cross-legged on their picnic blanket. With the food forgotten and Ginny staring intently at the beauty Draco called his girlfriend, Hermione shook her head._

"_This is complicated. It's complicated, Gin, and—"_

"_We've established that it's complicated so now let's move onto something else. Perhaps why you're here snogging like some trollop with the one person my brother and my...Harry hated above all others?"_

"_Trollop? That's a bit harsh, wouldn't you say?"_

_At this, Ginny turned her attention toward Draco, the one who asked the question. Hermione's eyes were wide in her pale face, moving back and forth between them, biting her tongue as she waited for something to transpire._

"_I don't know, Mister Malfoy, you tell me." The challenge in her tone would have come off as mischievous, playful even, if Draco hadn't known who he was dealing with. He knew Ginny Weasley, knew enough to know she was not malevolent by nature, not evil in the least. On the contrary, he'd heard only great things about the girl, the only daughter of one of the most respected members of the Ministry, Arthur Weasley. As a survivor and one of the top members of the Order of the Phoenix, Ginny was, without a doubt, a popular woman in the Wizarding World. Seen as kind, intelligent, and witty, Ginny was not only admired, but one of the most sought after witches in the magical realm. Being easy on the eyes sealed the deal for most wizards._

_Yet, Draco knew he wasn't talking to Ginny Weasley, baby sister and former girlfriend of the saviors of the World. He was talking to Ginny, the best friend of his girlfriend. He prepared himself, steeled himself, for the worst._

"_Miss Weasley, I apologize for the lack of proper introduction. I'm Draco Malfoy, former student at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. And you are?"_

_The redhead studied him for a moment, assessing his tone and taking in the man's appearance. Draco was dressed in a loose button-up shirt, the collar partially flipped up and the bottom splayed out over his pants. The khaki color of his trousers offset the blue of his shirt, making his grey eyes stand out even more. If she didn't know any better, she'd think of him as an everyday muggle. No cloak, no emblems, nothing to distinguish and relate him to his Malfoy pure blood._

_Interesting. Very interesting._

"_As you already noted, my name is Weasley though I'm sure you would prefer to give me the title of Weasel or something like that, right? I mean, you tormented my brother with the name for how many years?"_

"_I'd apologize for that, but I'm sure you'd just find it patronizing," said Draco, shifting to seat himself in a more comfortable position (his hands on the ground beside his torso, feet splayed in front of him)._

_Ginny nodded, confirming, "That would be about right."_

"_Then I won't bother. What I will tell you, though, is that I have been out of school for quite some time and I'm a changed man from the petty child I was. I'll admit I wasn't the nicest wizard to grace the halls of Hogwarts, but it's been a long time since those days."_

"_Certain people don't change and I'm afraid you might be one. I'm particularly afraid because my best friend told me how into this one guy she is and now today I'm finding your tongue done her throat."_

_At this, Ginny turned toward Hermione, who'd gone a few shades whiter than normal. Draco thought she looked adorable, so completely out of character for her._

"_I was going to tell you, Ginny. I'm not hiding anything. Draco, I'm not hiding us."_

"_I know that, sweetheart," he told her, taking her hand, giving her a reassuring squeeze. Ginny had to hide the smile from spreading across her face. As happy as she was at Hermione finally moving on with her life, no matter who it was with, there was still the problem of Hermione's lack of details._

_Hardening her voice again, she asked, "Then when, prey tell, did you plan on telling me?"_

"_I don't know," admitted Hermione in a soft voice, her pale fingers twisted and yanking on a loose curl around her face, "but I was going to. It's just, this relationship is new for us, sort of and—"_

"_What's sort of?" interrupted Ginny, her lips in a pensive frown._

_Gulping, Hermione admitted, "A few months, but this is different for me Ginny. It's not like with the other blokes I've been with. I care about Draco."_

"_You do?" she questioned, turning her gaze back on the blond, whose grin grew at Hermione's admission._

"_Yes," she continued, sounding choked, "he's changed me, for the better, and I know this because you've told me so. You've been asking me why I've been so happy, what's made me come out of my shell, well, here he is. Draco is the reason I'm the way I am."_

_Through narrowed eyes, Ginny checked Draco up and down, as though he'd burst into flames if Hermione's tale had been a lie. Draco, in turn, was more or less oblivious to her scrutiny, his attention focused solely on Hermione, the one woman who'd made his life worth living. _

"_Hermione, will you go pop in to see my mum and the boys at the Three Broomsticks? She's been dying to speak to you about your birthday."_

"_But—"_

"_I insist," interrupted Ginny, turning toward the girl she was addressing, "and I won't take no for an answer. Mister Malfoy and I will be here when you return."_

_"I...I-uh...it's just..." she broke off, turning to Draco for help._

_Smirking, the same smirk he often gave others back in his Hogwarts days, he answered, "Go on, Hermione. I think Miss Weasley here wants to have a little chat, mano-a-mano, so go ahead. Like she said, we'll be here when you're done talking with Missis Weasley."_

_Biting her lip, exhaling heavily, she nodded dumbly, rising to her feet and walking out of the park, peering over her shoulder every few paces. Once out of view, Ginny pounced; "I don't know what you're doing, and it's obvious you've got Hermione in deep, but if you hurt her I swear I will rip you apart."_

"_You don't waste time, do you?" he asked, his smirk lessening._

_"I'm not joking here. Hermione has..." Ginny looked away, staring sadly up toward the Heavens, heavy thoughts clearly plaguing her. "Ron loved Hermione. Hermione loved Ron, though neither of them claimed it until they were so close to death. Harry always told me that they'd come around and eventually admit to each other, as well as to themselves, the depth of their feelings. And now..."_

_Draco didn't know Ginny well, never claimed to, and the little he did know came from her Hogwarts years and what he'd read in the Prophet. One thing he did know, however, was her emotional strength; Ginny had never been known to cry in public. Yet here he was, sitting with the girl whose face was flushed the same color of her hair, hollow tears burning her eyes._

"_Hermione has been through so much. I'm different, you know? I still have most of my family, save Ron, and they take care of me. Hermione, on the other hand, doesn't have that. Of course she has my family and Merlin knows my parents love her as their own, my brothers and me love her as a sister, but it's different. She doesn't have her parents. She doesn't have Harry and Ron who have been her best mates since she was eleven. She's lost so much and she's T & E like nobody can believe."_

"_I can believe it. I know Hermione," said Draco easily._

"_Then you should know why I'm so skeptical of this...relationship or whatever, you two have."_

"_She's my girlfriend, Miss Weasley."_

"_Then you should know how desperate she is! She is desperate for stability, for permanence, for...for..."_

"_Love?" he offered, sensing Ginny's inability to articulate the fear she felt for Hermione._

"_Yeah, love. She hasn't had anyone, she won't let anyone in, so you must see this from my point of view. Just now I'm finding out that she has been letting someone in. You."_

"_I know how this must look, but I want to assure you that I have nothing but good intentions for and towards Hermione. She means a lot to me, Ginny. I've never been with someone like her."_

"_Someone smart?" quipped Ginny, chuckling to herself. She caught Draco's eyes and, with the grace to appear shamed, replied, "Sorry."_

_Rolling his eyes, he continued, "Someone I stare at when she doesn't know I'm watching." Ginny looked up at him then, curiosity drawn on her face. "She dances. She twirls a lot, spinning in circles until she gets too dizzy. When she finally does stop she stares up at the sky, smiling with her eyes closed. I love when she does that. I love how she laughs when reading, even if the room is quiet. I love how she blows curls out of her eyes, even though she, of all people, would know that logically pushing it back with her hand would be more effective."_

_The redhead gazed at him for a long while, appraising everything he just said, trying to gain some semblance over herself in the moment. He sounded so genuine, so honest, that Ginny wanted to believe him. She wanted to believe he felt something great for Hermione, a girl who deserved the very best._

_Ginny wanted to believe he was sincere._

"_She doesn't deserve anymore pain," she murmured, hastily wiping at her tears, "and I'll gladly castrate you if you do hurt her, Malfoy."_

"_Draco," he corrected, "and yes, I believe you. But trust me, I have no intentions of hurting her. I mean that Miss Weasley."_

_After a moment, she responded, "Ginny."_

_Draco couldn't help but smile. Getting the approval of Hermione's best friend meant a lot, and even more, meant a step forward for them..._

Bringing him out of his reverie; "can't we play wizard's chess?" asked Roxy, her eyes glinting like they always did whenever she wanted something.

"Honey, you don't even know how to play that game."

"You can teach me! I'm real smart. You and mum always tell me so," she pouted, crossing her arms, a characteristic she got from her mother.

Draco sighed, rubbing the back of his neck, used to this predicament. He loved how the girl wanted to learn the game, supported it, but Hermione often reprimanded the idea, saying the game was too dangerous - it would influence her too much; could lead to bad dreams.

"I'll talk to your mum and we'll see about playing it this weekend when we visit Grandma Molly, all right?"

Her eyes narrowed, much like Hermione's did when she knew she was being lied to or played, and Draco grinned, his daughter's intuitiveness outshining the typical naiveness of a child. Hermione and him had indeed raised a very smart girl.

"That means we're not playing, right?" she asked, sighing, throwing her chin into her left palm, a trait she'd developed from him.

"Probably not, but there is always hope, right baby?" he asked with a smile, picking up her brother as they started heading upstairs. The father and daughter listened to Bailey babble about Autumn all the way up the stairs, excited over his new friend. By the time they reached the top, Bailey's exaggerated speak tired him out, him yawning.

"I'll put your brother to bed and then you and I can play a game," said Draco, already walking his son to his bedroom.

"Can we read instead? I want to read to you again!"

Draco nodded, smirking over his girl. And really, what sort of father would he be if he denied her the chance to read to him? She was a smart one, that Roxy. His Roxy.

"_Alice In Wonderland_ again, sweetheart?" he asked, once he entered her room, his favorite boy, Bailey, already fast asleep.

"No," she said, tilting her chin to the side as she stared at her small shelf of books. "I think I want to read the other one you like. I just can't 'member which one it is?"

"Remember, honey," he corrected absentmindedly, something he and Hermione had been doing since she'd learned to speak. Draco had been skeptical about it, thinking it would deter her perhaps, but Hermione assured him, through the various books she'd read on parenting, that it would be best to help her. It would help her, hopefully for the future too, develop the ability to accept help rather than taking it as criticism; "and tell me about it."

"It's the one where um...'member—I mean, remember where the girl sleeps all the time? And there is um...hairies?"

"Oh, that one. With the fairies?"

"Yeah! That one."

Laughing, he leaned forward and picked out _Sleeping Beauty_, his favorite one to read to her. Hermione always giggled at him when he read it to her, claiming it was quite the feminine story, but he merely liked it for the dragon at the end. Really, muggles do know how to make a children's story scary. _Feminine my arse_, he thought irksomely.

"Can I read it?" she asked, her eyes wide in her pale face.

"Of course you can, honey. Did you brush your teeth? You know how your mummy gets if you don't do that," he told her firmly. The cleansing of teeth in wizarding terms is easier, but Hermione, raised by muggle dentists, refused to budge on her children's dental habits. He chose to give in on that one.

Nodding, Roxanne climbed under the covers, leaving space so her father could sit next to her atop, leaning back and allowing her to read him his favorite story. Yes, Roxy felt very proud.

0000000

"Hermione?"

Draco entered their bedroom, hoping to see his lovely wife, his gorgeous wife, his bloody perfect - you get the picture - wife, draped in whatever attire she had planned. Actually, he hoped to find her in nothing save a sheet yet she wasn't in the bedroom.

"_Hermione," _he sing-songed, walking through the room, noticing the door of the washroom closed, light coming through the small crack at the bottom. He could hear the faint humming of her lilting voice, easing him, wondering what in the name of magic she had in store for him.

Even with the problem of Hermione's memory plaguing his mind, he still couldn't help feeling happy over where he was in his life. He had Hermione, the most wonderful woman, memory or not, by his side; a gorgeous, feisty little girl, someone who regularly kept him on his toes; and a son, a beautiful son he knew would grow into a strong, virile man, ready to take on anything and everyone. Not to mention, he had great friends and an extended family with them. Blaise and Ginny and their little daughter Autumn, a girl he knew would soon become like his own, much like Roxy and Bailey with Blaise.

Though he once had doubts for his best mate, doubts extending beyond just the typical jitters one has for a close friend, Blaise pulled it together, marrying a beautiful woman and having an equally beautiful daughter...

"_All right, sit together and look like you like each other," joked Ginny, grinning as she held a camera in her hands._

_Bailey wriggled in Hermione's lap, giggling as he grasped her forearms, snuggling up to her beneath her chin. She kissed the top of his head, getting a mouth full of dirty-blond hair, tickling his sides. Draco was having quite a time too, Roxanne telling him a silly joke about a duck in a pond._

_Draco asked, "Who told you that joke?"_

"_Uncle Blaise!" she chortled, leaning back against his chest._

"_Figures," he muttered, raising his brows at his best mate, who'd situated himself behind his redheaded wife._

"_Can I take the picture now or are you four planning on sitting there the entire time?" asked Ginny in friendly exasperation._

"_Okay, calm yourself, Missis Zabini," appeased Hermione, "we're ready. Everyone smile. And a real smile you two, not that silly one your father taught you, Roxanne."_

_Draco pulled his daughter closer, the two of them chuckling merrily, as Ginny snapped the photograph, capturing yet another lovely moment for the Malfoy family._

_As soon as the camera flashed, Draco hastily whispered something to Roxanne and Bailey, the two nodding eagerly, their eyes swimming with mischief. Hermione peered over at Draco, questioning him with her eyes, but he winked at her, alerting her she had nothing to fear for the naughty behavior was not directed at her._

_Blaise caught the look in Roxanne's eyes and already let go of his wife, stepping back a few paces._

"_Roxy, sweetheart, you are on my side, remember?"_

_Draco smirked. "I'll teach you to influence my kids. GO!"_

_Blaise turned around and half-ran while Roxanne and Bailey jumped off of their father's lap, chasing the man. Roxanne tugged on Bailey's hand, pushing him with words of 'come on' and 'we've got to catch him'. Blaise conveniently hit a rock and fell on his back, leaving him an open target for the two tots to jump on. Then a tickle war began._

_Laughing, he shouted, "I'm going to get you for this, mate!"_

_Hermione shook her head at their antics while Draco looked on with glee, clapping and cheering his children on. The latter turned toward her best mate, noticing the twinkle in her eye._

"_I love this," murmured Ginny._

"_Love what?" asked Draco in confusion._

"_This," she said, gesturing toward her husband playing with the kids; "it's reassuring."_

"_Of what?" Draco could easily tell by the glow of Ginny and the look from his wife that he was missing out on something important. What was going on? They were just staring at the kids playing...with...Blaise..._

Oh shit, _he thought, _the dope is going to be a dad. Poor kid.

_Smiling, he watched on, thinking about what kind of dad his friend would be. He'd be a great dad, he knew, seeing how wonderful the man was with his own kids. Draco had a feeling he'd be just as crazy over the kid as he himself was over Roxanne and Bailey._

"_I surrender! Princess Roxy and King B win!"_

"_Yay!"_

_Still cheering, the two ran toward their dad, jumping into his arms. Being faster, he caught Roxanne first, shortly after lifting Bailey, the two hugging their dad around his neck. Blaise continued to grumble into the ground as Ginny walked over, kneeling beside him in the grass._

"_Those two double-teamed me, that wasn't fair," he pouted without any real malice._

_Rolling her eyes, humoring him, she countered, "I know honey, but this isn't quidditch. They weren't exactly on brooms."_

"_Irrelevant," he told her, shaking his hand up and away._

_Blaise continued to smile at Roxy and Bailey, who were in the midst of being fawned over by their parents, as Ginny pushed back some of his dark hair._

"_I want what they have," she whispered, staring intently at him._

"_What's that?" he asked in good humor, "Two fat heads?"_

"_I'm serious, Blaise. I want what they have."_

_At this Blaise turned to her, his eyes swimming with confusion, concern, and...love. He loved this woman, with all his heart, precisely why he figured out what she was getting at._

"_Kids?" he offered._

_Nodding, she licked her lips, sighed heavily, and answered, "In fact, I've already got what I want. I'm just hoping you want it too."_

_Draco and Hermione smiled as a whole mess of emotions crossed Blaise's face; perplexity, shock, incredulity, wonder, and, again, love. He finally dropped her gaze and stared for a long while at her belly, Ginny's eyes wide as she watched him. Suddenly he lifted up his hand and brushed against the soft material over her stomach, a dumbfounded expression still on his face. Ginny looked up worriedly at Draco and Hermione, the two reassuring her with smiles, Draco actually lifting up the children and nodding approval - she might have smiled had she not been so scared._

_Turning her attention back to Blaise, she realized, fleetingly, he'd lifted up her shirt, his palm pressing against her skin. A slow smile flittered across his face._

"_I'm going to be a dad?" he asked, his eyes finally seeking hers._

"_Happy birthday, love," she whispered, her eyes glassy._

_Blaise let out a bark of laughter before he engulfed her into his arms, pressing kisses all over her face. Roxanne turned to Draco, asking, "What's going on? Why is Uncle Blaise so happy?"_

_Before Draco could reply, Blaise sat up, his left arm still draped around a radiantly happy Ginny, and yelled, "You two squirts are about to get another sister!"_

"_Yay!"_

_Draco set his kids down and he and Hermione watched as they ran to Blaise and Ginny, the two jumping all over them. Hugging his own wife, Draco knew his best friend would be the second best father in the world._

_Naturally, after him..._

CRASH!

Draco sat up abruptly, a loud sound waking him from his short daydream. Shooting off the bed, grabbing his wand from his night stand, he hastily ran out of his bedroom, his feet taking him in the direction of the noise. Aside from the pounding of his own heart in his head, the rest of the house was silent.

Breathing heavily, he ran down the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. Holding the railing, something Hermione often scolded the children for, he swung himself around, turning toward the kitchen.

Nothing. Everything was as it should be.

Then why had Draco already broken out into a clammy sweat? Why did a bad feeling continue to pound into his temples, beating the thin skin by his skull? Why did everything feel wrong?

Turning toward the family room, he quickly ran to the entrance, stopping short just as his feet touched the soft carpet.

The sight before him nearly killed him right then; the grief, the anguish, the searing physical pain he felt literally sending his body into an agonizing state. At that moment, he could feel a thousand knives piercing him, a thousand dementors sucking his soul from his body, and a thousand Cruciatus curses twisting him into oblivion. Sagging against the doorframe, he barely managed to whisper, in a near-inaudible voice, "No..."

In the corner of the room, near the open cabinet of the mahogany side table, Hermione, Roxy, and Bailey laid dead, blood seeping, pooling around their bodies like the brook in their backyard.

"No..."

* * *

_A/N: --Hides in her closet-- DON'T KILL ME!! Sorry about the cliffhanger, and, more than that, sorry about the long wait. Again, school kicked my ass this semester and my best friend is very sick (and I'm not talking about the flu, but a serious illness, meaning I spent the last several weeks either at school or at the hospital with her - she's currently in the recovery stage, thank God). I just so happened to get my grades back today and yours truly did AWESOME! So it sparked my imagination and I sat myself down and produced this - I hope you all enjoyed it (--grins evilly--)._

_And please be awesome and check out my two new stories (_To Bite My Tongue_ and_ The Barkeeper_) - I'd greatly appreciate it!_

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	23. The Blow Up: Interlude

**The Blow Up - Interlude**

In the corner of the room, near the open cabinet of the mahogany side table, Hermione, Roxy, and Bailey laid dead, blood seeping, pooling around their bodies like the brook in their backyard.

"No..."

He closed his eyes, praying to Merlin, praying to anyone willing to listen, willing to make this go away, desperately needing the most horrible sight to disperse. The pain in his body progressively mounted with every passing moment, his body a sheath for those knives picking out his organs. His grey eyes opened again, the same horrid sight that made his insides turn out still there, worsening as time progressed. The blood trail continued to grow.

"No," he choked again, moving his head back and forth, only once, a curt, anxious gesture. Not his family, not everything he'd worked for and loved. Not his wife and two children, not them. He would rather die a hundred times over, multiple deaths of pain and anguish and suffering if it meant their safety. He'd do it in a heartbeat, without a doubt, and without one ounce of regret, but THIS?! NOT THIS!

Draco wanted to drown in their blood, wanted to end his life right then and there. He had no reason to go on without them, without his family, with his soul, without h—

"Draco?"

Spinning so fast it made him dizzy, Draco turned to see Hermione in the kitchen, healthy and unharmed. Mildly concerned perhaps, at seeing Draco so shell-shocked and distraught, but all right; safe.

"I...b-but..." he stammered, his dry mouth and empty body unable to formulate words.

"Draco, what is it?" she asked, approaching him at a hastened pace, her bare feet slapping on the cool floor.

He whipped around and, sure enough, the same Hermione still laid in the family room - still dead. He couldn't understand it.

"What's going—" she abruptly stopped her words, her attention zoned on the bodies in the family room. Only, she saw Draco lying dead with her babies. At sixteen, she'd never seen anything scarier. She'd never seen anything more frightening than this man, the man she'd come to love, dead and with her children. Oh GOD, her children!

"It's a boggart," breathed Draco, taking a step forward, watching as the largest body - himself - changed back into Hermione.

"We have the same fear," she whimpered, her heart beating faster than the Hogwarts Express; "only for each other."

"_Ridikkulous!_" he yelled, the three bodies disappearing.

Silence reigned, only accompanied by their mutual panting.

Very few times in Draco's life had he ever felt fear the way he had right then. He felt it when he'd received the letter threatening the life of his beloved, he'd felt it when a pregnant Hermione had been attacked in Diagon Alley, and in that moment, when he'd seen his wife and children dead. His Roxy and his Bailey - dead. Even the thought of something happening to his kids, anything at all, sent him into a downward spiral. He couldn't fathom the mere thought of losing his children, his blood, his life. To actually see them injured broke his heart. Seeing them like that, seeing them dead, nearly killed him. Had Hermione been even a few seconds more, he might have seriously joined his pseudo dead children and wife.

And his wife, his Hermione, his soul mate - dead. Ah God, he couldn't handle it. Crashing to his knees, _hard_, he dropped his face into his palms, trying to catch his breath.

_It wasn't real, they're safe, it wasn't real, they're safe, it wasn't real, they're safe..._

He felt his wife's dainty hands on his shoulders, her face pressing against his sweaty neck. The hot moisture of her tears mixed with the residual of his chaotic fear.

"I don't think I've ever been more scared," she whispered, her chest pressing against the soaked shirt on his back. Rocking with him, physically assuring him, and herself, of their life, she cried, "I felt like..."

"Like a knife went through your heart," he finished, his trembles lessening and his breathing slowing down. He felt her nod against his neck.

A boggart. A bloody boggart managed to reduce him to a puddle of bloody mush within a matter of moments. During those moments he saw his life flash before his eyes, saw his life with Hermione, saw his children's births and the passing years of joy they'd shared. Fuckin' thing had caught him off guard, and did it ever screw with his mind.

Turning around, he pulled Hermione frantically into his arms, crushing her to his chest and rocking with her. He needed to feel her, needed to feel her life, and needed to know she was physically safe.

"Merlin," he sighed, pressing her closer to him. Fleetingly he felt her wrap her arms around him, returning the gesture, continuing in her effort to prove genuine existence. The boggart had toyed with his mind, nothing more; and she was safe; his children were safe.

So why wasn't the feeling going away?

"I love you," he told her, burying his face into her curls, his chin brushing against her forehead covered in light perspiration. "I love you so much and nothing is ever going to happen to you. I promise you, all right?"

"All right," she repeated, more for him than for herself. After all, the boggart changed into him once she approached, her fear of his death, along with their children's, greater than anything else. When Hermione Granger fell for this man, for this life, apparently she fell hard.

"I just...shit, I haven't seen a boggart in ages," he told her hoarsely, "I guess I forgot the signs. I should have noticed the open cabinet."

"You were caught off guard, it's all right. Trust me, I understand," she soothed, rubbing his back in calming circles, still rocking with him. Her lungs were constricting due to his tight hold, but she refused to say anything, allowing him a few moments to truly take a hold of, and in a sense comprehend, her. He needed this, she could tell. Finally, "I'm just surprised we had one in the house. We clean so much, it seems, and—"

"I have to check on the children," he told her sharply, disengaging and rising to his feet, already stampeding through the kitchen and to the stairs.

Draco knew right then, even as she spoke those innocent words, what he was about to see. He knew it, and he should have seen it, he'd later chide himself. He should have known it was a trick, a trap set to lure the couple downstairs and away from the bedrooms.

The boggart was a diversion.

Oh no.

Oh no, no, no, no, no, no, no, NO, NO, NO, NONONONONONO!

Why hadn't he seen it? He should have known from the very beginning that something was up - he distinctly remembered hearing Hermione's soft voice singing a melody in the washroom - and gone after his children. Draco should have gotten to them sooner.

"Draco?!" cried Hermione, confused and scared.

Again, he took the steps two at a time, only up. He lost his footing at the top, tripping on the last step and tweaking his ankle in the process. Too caught up to feel pain, he dragged himself up, throwing his body at his daughter's bedroom door.

"Roxanne!" he yelled, no longer caring about anything other than seeing her face.

Nothing.

"Roxanne, get up now!"

In two strides he reached the bed, throwing the covers back unceremoniously, his eyes finding an empty, albeit still warm, bed.

"No!" screamed Hermione as Draco limped past her, his mind frantically trying to take in the new information. His baby girl wasn't in bed, she wasn't there - she must be in Bailey's room. She MUST be.

"Bailey! Rox!" he yelled hoarsely, desperate, his heart beating faster than he'd thought possible. _Just let them be there, _he thought madly, _please let them be there. Together._

He held onto the door frame as he swung into the room, terrified and shocked, when he again found no sign of a child, or anyone, in the room.

"Fuck," he panted, literally unable to draw in enough air.

His children were gone.

His babies were not in their beds and nowhere in sight.

The duo weren't even responding to his frantic cries, something the two of them most definitely would have done. They both should have come running and yet neither of them made a sound, not a single peep—

SWOOSH!

Moving past Hermione, who stared dumbly at Bailey's empty room, Draco bolted for his own bedroom, determined to locate the cause of the sound. Slamming open the door he saw a hooded figure in his bedroom fireplace, holding a struggling Roxanne to his, or her, chest, covering her mouth with a hand.

"ROXY!"

Biting her captor's hand, her mouth, now released and bruised, screamed, "Daddy!"

Draco dove for the fireplace, literally throwing himself toward the black couch, hurling his way over in order to reach his little girl. He had to get to her before the person left, having already dropped the powder—

SWOOSH!

Draco slammed onto the ground a moment too late, directly in front of the fiery nook. Gone. His Roxanne was gone, no doubt her younger brother gone before her. Someone had his children. Someone had his reason for living, two of the three reasons he continued to breathe air into his lungs. Those said lungs couldn't do anything in that moment, clamped shut, precisely like every other organ in his body.

Fleetingly he recognized the sound of Hermione's soft approach, her bare feet approaching with unease and hesitancy. He felt the soft brush of her hands on his shoulders, pushing down to wrap around his neck, hot tears wetting his shirt and flesh. Thus, for several moments, Draco stared into the pitch blackness of the grate while she clung to him, physically trying to transfer a modicum of comfort.

Gone.

Just gone.

"Not my kids," he groaned, his voice cracked, "anything, but that. Not my Roxy. Not my Bailey. Oh God, my B."

"It's going to be okay," she whimpered into his neck, feeling him stiffen the moment the words left her mouth.

"How could this possibly be okay?" he asked in a frighteningly calm voice; "what makes you think this could be okay? Huh?!"

Taken aback by his yells and already on edge from the situation altogether, Hermione pulled her hands away from him like his skin burned her. For several seconds she looked like a guppy, opening her mouth and closing it quickly, no noise actually emitting. Shaken to the core by his words and, more than that, thrown completely off balance by his callous tone, Hermione didn't know what to do.

Before she could dwell or even contemplate on how to approach him, he rose to his feet, rushing over to the fireplace mantel and grabbing a loose piece of parchment from beneath the glittering Slytherin 'S'.

"What is it?" she asked anxiously. "What does it say?"

Draco didn't respond.

A cold, dreadful feeling of deja vu ran up along his spine. He recognized the parchment, the green ribbon, the eerie foreboding mantra pounding behind his temples.

His eyes ran over the words, his face paling and flushing at the same time, however impossible it seemed. Dropping his hands, sighing as he stared at the ceiling, Draco looked both terrified and madder than Hell.

"Draco?"

"I've got to talk to Blaise," he told her tersely, rushing over to the floo network and directly entering, not bothering to send a warning message. Hermione, shaken, eventually followed him to the Zabini house.

0000000

"Blaise!" yelled Draco, disregarding the fact they now shared their home with a newborn baby girl. "Blaise, get the hell up now!"

As expected, Autumn broke out into loud wails.

Again, as expected, Blaise entered the living room looking irritated and exasperated. Crossing the room, only wearing knit pajama bottoms, he strode over to Draco, so pissed off he did not even notice the heavy grief radiating off his best friend.

"You woke up Autumn. Mate, I haven't slept an entire night since she was born. We just got her to go to sleep an hour ago and now she's awake, you id—"

"My kids are gone," he said in a quiet voice that, ironically, spoke volumes.

The annoyance immediately dissipated, replaced with confusion and concern. He hastily asked, "Gone? What do you mean gone?"

"Someone broke into the house. I don't know how they got in exactly, but they did, and they took Rox and B. They took my kids, Blaise."

Borderline hysterical, Draco handed him the parchment and pushed Blaise aside, taking a seat down on his couch, rocking his body in an attempt, obviously failing, to calm himself. Momentarily shocked, Blaise peered from Draco to Hermione, noting the girl's ashen face and clenching fists. Eventually he read the paper before him, seeing red with each passing letter. Just as he finished up, Ginny entered the room carrying a sobbing Autumn, glaring daggers at their guests. When she opened her mouth to speak, Blaise cut her off; "Merlin, this can't...how in the hell did they get in Draco? _How _did they get into _your_ house?"

"I don't know!" he shouted, causing the baby to cry louder, forcing the puzzled and clearly exhausted redhead to leave into the kitchen. Draco remained oblivious to her, oblivious to all things, save the horrid images running through his head. _Oh God, what could they be doing to her? What about little Bailey? _He suddenly felt nauseous, going so far as to scan the room for something to retch in.

Hermione, on the other hand, didn't appear able to throw up for she looked one step away from fainting. Normally Draco would have comforted her, but the girl wasn't his wife. The bitterness, the knowledge his wife mentally wasn't with him in this, when he needed her most, finally reached a breaking point for him.

"We've got to alert the Ministry," stated Blaise.

"NO!" cried Draco, shaking his head for good measure.

"Draco—"

"You read the bloody note. They want no Ministry involvement and what's more, what in the hell are they going to do? They can't help us out anyway so we're better off handling this on our own. I'm going to get my kids back, no matter the outcome. If I have to die in the process then so be it."

"Mate, we've got to think this thing through. You know I'm with you, I love those brats, but we've got to slow down before we do something crazy. We can't risk fucking this up and have those bastards hurt them."

"Don't you think I know that?!" he yelled, his body shaking in near convulsions. His heart felt completely ripped in half - without his wife and children, he could barely function, could hardly breathe.

"Look, you two calm down some. I'm going to go talk with Gin and send a few owls. Not to any authorities," he added quickly, realizing he was about to protest, "but to_ our_ people, all right? I'll owl a few people who know their shit and are discreet, okay?"

Unable to verbally respond, he nodded his head in affirmation.

Blaise left the room, leaving Hermione alone though his voice traveled. Draco could make it, albeit muffled, half a conversation with Ginny; _"no, I'm not joking Gin...of course I'm going to! What other choice do we have?...I don't know, she isn't even speaking...hardly. Draco isn't moving an inch...what kind of comfort can we offer them when it's their children? I mean, what if this happened to Autumn?...that's my point...I don't know, but we've got to try...over my dead body. Nothing, and I mean nothing, is going to happen to those kids..."_

Draco wanted to find some solace in knowing Blaise and Ginny would do everything in their power to help them. He knew, of course, it would come down entirely to him, but how could he do this? He needed Hermione, his wife, to help him through. She calmed him, always made him feel safe and relatively composed whenever his world seemed to spiral out of control.

Hermione no longer was with him.

Talk about bloody timing.

"Draco?"

Snapping out of his reverie, yet not looking at her, he responded, "Yes?"

"Um, what are we going to do? I mean, we cannot just wait. We should go home, change, and then...then..."

"And then what, Hermione?" he asked, turning his cold, grey eyes on her, his lips a stiff line; "what are we going to do?"

Sensing his anger, she suddenly glanced down at her feet, stating, "I understand you're scared and upset, but—"

"Scared? You think I'm scared?" he asked, rising to his feet, nearly shaking from the tension. "Let me tell you something, Hermione. I'm more than bloody scared, I'm petrified beyond belief! _My _children are in the hands of people trying to hurt me!"

"They're _my_ children too," she said in a meek voice.

Draco's eyes nearly bulged from his head, his knuckles white from clenching his fists so tight. Hermione, knowing full well the man loved her with all his heart, actually took a step back, startled and intimidated by his drastic change in appearance. During all the time she'd spent with him, learning about this life her older self created with him, Draco never looked as fierce as he did then. Indignation, resentment, and flat our ire flashed across his pale features in a matter of moments.

"_Your_ children? _Your_ _children?!_" he yelled, making her jump. "You are Hermione Granger, correct? Well, my wife is Hermione Malfoy and she is the mother of those children. Damn it, I feel I'm cheating on my wife you. _You are not my wife_. I don't know who you are, but I can't spend my time dealing with. My focus is on my kids, so do me a favor, _Hermione_, and just stay out of my way!"

Draco exited the room.

When he came back with Blaise seven minutes later, Hermione was gone.

* * *

_A/N: I'm definitely glad I hid in my closet after last chapter - some of you were downright mean! Lol, no hard feelings. After the wait I just put everyone through, I'm sure I'm going to have tomatoes thrown at me. Can you all throw grapes instead? They hurt less, not to mention grapes are yummy!!_

_Anywho, sorry for the wait. Understand most of this chapter, meaning 9/10 of it, was written weeks ago - but I've put off posting it for two reasons. One - I wasn't happy with the format of it. When I outlined the story, this chapter worked differently in my head. Two - I got a spark of inspiration recently that changed my mind about the ending so I've been changing a lot of things, all of which I think are for the better. Hence, this is an interlude. Sorry for the lack of memories, but they just didn't work out. Don't worry, you'll get some next chapter :)_

_Also, thanks to those of you for your warm wishes concerning my best friend. She just started walking again (the illness unfortunately kept her in a wheelchair for months) and is doing WORLDS better. Having my bff back really has been good for my imagination, precisely why my writing is coming along better. Well, ignore this chapter - again, not pleased with it, but I'm liking the rest._

A Dream Worth Keeping _is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	24. Two Graves

**Two Graves - Chapter 23**

"_This little piggy went to market and this little piggy went home. This little piggy had roast beef and this little piggy had none. And this little piggy went wee, wee, wee, wee; all the way home!"_

_Tickling Roxanne, Hermione laughed as her ten-month-old daughter rolled all over the beige carpet, giggling. Mother and daughter had been playing all day, Hermione's heart feeling full every second that passed. Something about watching the grey eyes of Roxy all day made her every moment feel euphoric._

"_What are you doing? What are you doing, my big girl?" she asked jovially, crawling on her elbows and knees, chasing after Roxy. It drove her and Draco crazy trying to keep up with her, especially since she'd taken on her father's mischievous demeanor. Roxanne definitely was not hard pressed about her lineage, even before the age of one._

"_Does my girl want to have some dinner? Huh? Does my baby girl want to have some yummy in her tummy?" she asked, cooing, brushing her forehead against her daughter's. Roxanne gave her a laugh in response, wrapping her little arms around her neck. Hermione picked her up, pressing her against her chest and hugging her closely, taking her to the kitchen. After setting her in a white high-chair featuring moving snitches and broomsticks, a gift from her surrogate uncle Blaise, Hermione bustled about the kitchen preparing her some "yummy" carrots._

_The one food her daughter hated to eat._

"_All right, love," she said, taking the bowl and placing it in front of Roxy, the girl attempting to grab the moving pictures on her chair, "it's time to eat. Ready for some carrots?"_

_Roxy glanced down at the bowl and spotted the orange, already making a face. She thought she looked exactly like Draco whenever she pulled "the face" at something she didn't like. Hermione sighed, but pushed forward, knowing how important carrots are for a baby. Too bad Roxy didn't see it that way._

_Draco entered the kitchen completely exhausted only to find an exacerbated wife and fussy daughter._

"_Carrots?" he asked unnecessarily, taking off his coat and draping it over the back of his chair._

"_She took one bite and spit everything out. Now she is fighting me!"_

_Here, you take a seat and I'll feed her. Let's see if her dad can get her to take a few more bites."_

_Pursing her lips, she submitted and rose from the chair, taking another seat, resting her back against the fuzzy material of his charcoal-grey coat. Draco took up her spot, yawning into his arm before picking up the spoon and dipping it into the bowl._

"_You look tired," noted Hermione, pulling her dark curls into a low ponytail on the nape of her neck._

_Nodding, he said, "I'm bloody dead beat, nearly fell asleep before I managed to get home. I'm ready for bed."_

_Watching Draco with envy as he fed her another spoonful of carrots, she asked, "Are you going to support Mister Donahue's business with the Ministry?"_

"_I suppose so. The man has a real knack and eye for what Azkaban needs. I s'pose he'll turn it into something even better, with more security and less interference with political garbage like Umbridge. Without the dementors, I think the place will be better off."_

"_Sounds like it should be successful. Still can't believe Umbridge was released."_

"_That bi—"_

"_Drake," she warned._

"_Right, the baby girl, no swearing. That vile _creature_ never should have been allowed to see daylight again." _

"_Agreed," she told him._

_He lifted up her small cup of juice and allowed her to take a few gulps through the sippy-top. Her jealously mounting completely, she asked, "Why does she always do that for you? She never cooperates with me at dinner."_

_Draco turned toward his wife, smirking when he spotted a defeated frown on her face. Answering, "I'm her dad. Obviously she realizes that father knows best."_

_Snorting, she waved a hand to him, standing up from her seated position. "Are you ready for dinner? I was thinking of something easy tonight since our girl wore me out. Spaghetti sound good?"_

_Instead of giving her a verbal response, he tugged on the sleeve of her shirt and pulled her down into a kiss. Kiss number three: the tender, gentle caress. His lips slowly brushed over hers, sucking in her bottom lip, her responding with much heat. When they finally pulled away, her expression melted him, her thoughtful eyes boring into his._

"_Is that a yes?" she asked cheekily._

"_Mmh," he answered, pulling her down for another soft kiss. They only broke apart when their attention-deprived daughter threw a handful of carrots at her dad, making both her parents burst into laughter..._

"Ma'am?"

Hermione's eyes snapped open as she jumped in her seat, the hand on her shoulder pulling back quickly. Clutching her hand to her chest, she looked up to see a blushing man in a blue and black uniform staring down at her.

"I'm sorry, ma'am, for startling you. I didn't want to wake you up, but I'm checking for tickets and..."

"Oh no, quite all right. I understand," she replied, fishing through her bag to find the ticket she'd purchased. Times had changed, considering when she'd been sixteen, she still had an annual pass for this train. Trying to find an exchange program to give her muggle pounds for galleons had been murder.

"Here you go," she said, handing him the ticket, the top right corner bent.

Scanning it quickly with an electronic device Hermione didn't recognize, he handed it back to her, smiling to her before moving on to the next compartment.

Sitting there alone gave her a lot of time to think. She knew running off the way she had was not the brightest thing to do, nor something Draco needed to worry about. Even she could tell he loved her, no matter the words he said. Running off was probably the last thing she should have done. She couldn't resist, though, considering she needed to do a few things for herself. Getting out of the way so they could find the children had been the intent, but it developed into something more when she realized how much she needed to see her own family.

Hermione Malfoy's family needed her.

Hermione Granger needed her own family.

The decision to visit her childhood home had been harder than she anticipated. Going home should have been easy had her parents been alive. Knowing they were dead, knowing that when she got there she wouldn't see her own home but someone else's, hurt her. Broke her apart, really.

Afterwards, she planned on venturing to visit the rest of her family. Perhaps they could point her in the right direction of her children. Those kids were born with Granger blood, and she wanted to find them.

Choosing to go by train just made sense. She used the train with her parents to reach Diagon Alley, in order for her to get to Platform 9 and 3/4. Taking a short trip via train, her method of transportation long before she knew about the wizards and witches and magic and Hogwarts and Malfoys, seemed fitting for this occasion. No matter how much she loved magic, her heritage as a muggle-born would never leave her.

Though the train gave her time to think.

She didn't want to think at the moment.

Draco's words caused more damage for her psyche than she cared to admit. Harsh, bitter words managed to bring her down in a tumble, making her feel more terrible than ever before. She'd been angry before, furious at his actions toward her, but this probably hurt more than anything.

The familiar squeaking of the train slowing down brought her out of her thoughts, making her rise to her feet and sling her black bag over her left shoulder. Walking along the long corridor brought back a former serenity she remembered back when her parents ventured on the trip with her. Merlin, did she miss her mummy's smell. She remembered walking down the corridor with her mother's scarf wrapped around her head, a mixture of her mum's flowery perfume and dental antiseptic from the office wafting into her nose. Rationally she knew everyone with a mother had to think his or her mum smelled the best, but in her mind, Margaret Granger smelled better than anyone or anything in the world. Did all kids think that way about their mother?

Stepping out into the cool air made her reflexively pull her jacket tighter to her body and hunch her shoulders, her bag whipping to the side due to the force of the wind. Without much warning, Hermione felt incredibly small.

A hackney carriage crossed her mind, but she knew the drive would be a lonely one, another few minutes spent wallowing in her own misery and thinking about those poor children. Each time the thought of something happening to Roxanne and Bailey ran through her mind shivers exploded all over her body. She couldn't think about them. No, she wouldn't.

Instead her thoughts zoned in on the long path in front of her. Walking along the streets of her hometown Cardiff brought back the memories of being a child, an only child, to a couple with more love to offer than one could hope for. Hermione never went hungry for love, her parents always offering her a hug when she needed it or a shoulder to cry on. No secrets existed with such a close family, especially between her and her mum. Even she knew about her secret crush on Ron, existing back before they'd even been properly introduced. Her daddy often took her out fishing in order to spend quality time together, to bond; which really consisted of the two of them throwing rocks into the placid water out of sheer boredom and falling into the mud when trying to reach the banger (the only car her mum would let them use seeing as it was a piece of rubbish).

Every step forced the memories to surface, forced her to think about the family she knew no longer existed. Did they ever have a proper burial? Did she ever bring flowers to their graves? Did Hermione _Malfoy's_ children ever visit their graves?

When she returned to the Malfoy home she made the visit quick. Grabbing some heavy clothing for the weather, a small bag of galleons, and a picture of the family before setting off on this endeavor. Now she was here. Now she was stuck.

Now she was on the street she grew up on and it never felt more lonely and unwelcoming.

Funny how the same steps she trotted along as a child and played tag with the local muggles now seemed ominous and threatening. Perhaps knowing her home no longer belonged her family, the Granger family, knowing the street belonged to someone else...

Shaking her head, clearing her thoughts, she pushed on further, gripping her jacket tightly and dragging her boots through the light snow littered on the pavement. She could hear some laughter in the distance and knew children woke up early to play, to sled, to fight with snowballs, and everything else given to the innocent.

_Wasted on the innocent is more like it, _she thought bitterly.

Moving forward, she caught eye of her snow-strewn home in the distance, the plain blue house at the end of the street.

It looked exactly the same...

"_Hermione, love, are you sure you want to do this?" asked Draco, his voice tinged with apprehension._

_Ignoring his question, knowing if she answered 'no' might come out, she took a step forward, leaving him standing on the sidewalk. With a deep breath, she took the steps one by one, hearing the light creek of the third step from the missing nail. Reaching the top might as well have been reaching Mount Everest. Or at least, it felt just as a great an achievement._

_The beautiful black door with glittering crystal glass at the top, a decorative fixture her mother designed, taunted her, as if knowing how hard this was for her._

_Knock._

_Knock._

_...Knock._

_After about a year long wait - okay, perhaps only forty seconds - the door opened and a kind-faced woman answered the door. Hermione noticed high coloring on her cheeks and side swept bangs in complete disarray._

"_Can I help you?" she asked gently._

_Swallowing hard, she answered, "Hi. Um, my name is Hermione Granger. I, um, used to live here."_

_An interested sigh escaped as the woman realized what she'd been told. Taking in the information, she said, "Yes, we bought this a few years ago. I remember hearing a family known as the Grangers lived here."_

_Hermione felt oddly choked up at the way the woman said her last name. Being the only Granger left gave new meaning to the word._

_The woman clearly could see a dilemma battling behind Hermione's pretty brown eyes, innerly debating herself, and asked, "Would you like to come inside? You can have a look around and then you can tell us all about what it was like growing up here."_

_She felt touched, managing a smile for the sake of the woman's generosity and willingness to open up her home and heart to a stranger. Glancing over her shoulder, momentarily staring at Draco on the sidewalk, hands in his pockets and hair swept from the wind, she said, "I'm with my boyfriend."_

_Quirking her head to the side, the woman suggested, "Invite him up as well. Has he ever seen the inside of your old home?"_

"_No," replied Hermione, glancing down at her feet. "I moved out before my parents left so..."_

"_Never got to meet the family. Heard there was some sort of accident and they relocated elsewhere."_

Yeah, to a cemetery_, Hermione thought sadly._

"_Honestly, it's not a problem for you to come in and have a look around."_

"_Taking in two strangers? Didn't your mum tell you not to do such things?" asked Hermione with a friendly smile, her first genuine one._

_Throwing a hand up in the air - as though to say 'Poppycock! - she answered, "My husband is home. Your lad looks tough, but I doubt he could take on my own man."_

_Laughing, Hermione turned around and called Draco up. He slowly approached, lifting his eyebrows, silently asking her what was going on. Hermione said nothing, just interlaced their fingers and followed the kind woman into the home of her youth..._

And it still looked exactly the same.

The same blue paint grazed the two story home, glazed over from the frosty snow. The white powder rested upon the same dried branches of the golden tree in the middle of the lawn. The same brown fence lined duel sides of the cottage home. Staring at it, knowing other people lived there, dreamed there, cared for others there...

Not fair.

Not fair by half.

"Mummy," she whispered to the cool air, her voice choked. "Daddy."

Suddenly her breaths were piling atop one another, puffs of thick steam erupting from her mouth in quick secession. Hyperventilating in the snow, especially without anyone around to calm her, certainly made Hermione's situation even worse. Perhaps she needed Draco more than she cared to admit.

"No," she growled, shaking her head back and forth, once, in a curt, anxious gesture; "he made it...clear..I wasn't needed. He needs...his sodding wife. Bloody hell, I'm both annoyed...and jealous of myself."

Taking some deep breaths, her breathing eventually evened out, allowing her to think more clearly. She'd already bothered the family before so it wouldn't do to look around again. Sporadic memories were starting to really take a toll. She couldn't have had that vision before she left?

Turning her back to the house, she started walking down the street, her mind drifting over her next location. It'd taken quite a bit of nerve to even consider venturing there, let alone actually make her way.

Perhaps the extremely long walk gave her time to think.

_Love of Angels Cemetery _stood in the distance, snowfall hindering the direct view of many gray and white headstones. Sighing heavily, she walked through the unlocked gate, hesitating for a moment, her eyes quickly scanning over the last resting place of her parents. Her grandmother told her long ago that a cemetery is a place of love and remembrance, a lot less scary when a person you care for resides there. Hermione couldn't disagree with her grandma Granger more.

Stomping on the sloshy snow, she walked on the muddy, gravel walkway until she reached the location her parents rested. For some odd reason their markers stood out greater than any of the others. Crouching down, dropping to her knees, she brushed off the snow with her gloved hand, scanning the beautiful scripture her older self chose.

_Granger_

_Edward and Margaret_

_1949 1952_

_A Love that will last through the test of Time_

_1997_

Etched orchids lined the right side of the dark gray stone, her mother's favorite flower. The snow lingered in the indentations of the scripture and blossoms, the frost looking almost like dust atop their dual gravestone.

Hermione couldn't remember when the first tear came out, but by the time the tears registered, about fifteen already were down across her chin. One thing to imagine what their final resting spot would look like, but to see it...

To actually feel it was something else entirely.

"Mummy," she whispered to the wind, two more tears erupting from her dark eyes. "Daddy...Oh Merlin, no..."

Digging her fingers in her thighs, Hermione sobbed.

0000000

Hermione didn't leave her parent's spot for over an hour, spending time weeping for what she'd lost. Lost so much in her crying she didn't register the cold and the snow taking a toll on her body.

When she did leave the spot, she whispered words only they could hear, promising them vows she'd only make to her parents. Walking away, she held her head up high, allowing her tears to continue to fall. The drops dried as she traveled to her next destination, another resting spot of two people she cared about more than her own life.

The sight of Godric's Hollow, a place she only envisioned in her mind, laid before her draped in a silky layer of snow.

Fighting down both tears and bile, she started toward the place her friends were. The same feeling she had back in her parent's burial site flooded her with a vengeance. Another cemetery she needed to face, one she definitely shouldn't have been forced to go to. Her friends deserved life, they shouldn't have died for the cause.

How unfair.

How utterly unfair.

When she learned Harry and Ron had been buried beside the Potters, Hermione managed a little smile. At least they were with each other and not alone, as she feared they might have been. After all, the generations of Weasleys had all been buried in the same place for centuries, a plot of land filled with everlasting lilies and wild flowers. From what Ginny told her, the remaining Weasley children decided, for Molly and Arthur were inconsolable, and Hermione was still comatose in the hospital, the duo had died together and deserved to remain by each others' side. Assuming their friendship lasted on earth, it deserved to prolong in death.

Hermione couldn't agree more.

The sight of their graves tore at her heart, a grief immediately pushing her down to the ground. Her knees, slick with snow and mud, impacted with a sharp thud on the slosh in-between Harry and Ron's graves.

"You both deserved better. So much better than this," she whispered brokenly.

But did they really?

The back of her mind screamed fiercely that they received precisely what they wanted. Where the voice was coming from, she couldn't say; but it seemed relevant. They stopped the darkest wizard from taking over their world, a world they both loved and valued. They saved the people they'd grown to love, or had been born loving, the Wizarding World. They died fighting for what they'd both believed in. Yes, in the end, all three of them didn't die on the same day - and Hermione had the odd feeling they saved her on the field that day _(where are these thoughts coming from?!)_ - but their love did not stop in death.

Harry and Ron were gone, but still very much with her.

They lived through her.

Hermione sighed, staring at the etching on Ron's lovely headstone.

_Ronald Bilius "Ron" Weasley_

_March 1, 1980_

_June 2, 1997_

_Beloved Son, Brother, and Friend_

_Forever Loyal and Loved_

Wiping at a tear, she turned to her other cherished friend's grave. This headstone obviously differed, no doubt a fitting tribute to everyone's (with no other way to accurately describe him) hero.

_Here lies our Hero_

_Harry James Potter_

_July 31, 1980_

_June 2, 1997_

_The Savior of the World, both Magic and Muggle_

_**A True Legend**_

Hermione smiled at the incredible number of cards littered around her two friend's graves. Words of praise and gratitude graced the parchments of many, their hearts going out to the two men who sacrificed their lives for the sake of good triumphing over evil. Hermione could easily decipher the writing, suggesting the ink was fresh; meaning the cards were recent. She figured - correctly - that people visited the grave each day, or at the very least weekly, to give thanks to the one person who kept their hopes alive during decades of turmoil.

An appropriate homage.

"I miss you boys so much," she said, the voice in her mind pushing her to continue, that talking to them was all right. "I miss you guys so much it hurts."

"Waking up without you has been hell. I'm living this life that isn't mine and yet I love it so. I have two kids, you know? Of course you know, I'm sure I've been here a lot. I can feel it."

Taking a deep breath, she sighed, "I think you guys would have done so well in life with me. Imagine, us three getting married and having kids. They would have played together, you two pillocks shoving quidditch down their throats at every opportune moment. I can see my Roxy now, laughing as she rode with you, Harry, on your broom. You, Ron, sneaking her sweets when you think I'm not looking. It would have been wonderful."

"I'm curious, though, who you two would have ended up with. Harry with perhaps Ginny, and you, Ron, with maybe a girl from our year. Maybe me. I guess it doesn't bode well to dwell, but it's kinda hard. It's damn hard."

Two tears slid down her pasty cheeks, her red nose sniffing as she whispered, "A part of me wishes I died with you. A part of me really wishes I got to go with my boys, but another part is happy to know I created this life. I have a husband who is crazy over me, albeit not presently. He is crazy over Hermione Malfoy, not me. Then again, I was a bitch for a long while. He needs his wife, I guess."

"Unfortunately for him," came a cruel, vicious voice, "his wife was stupid enough to come here. The one place everyone knows she goes to whenever in crisis. Are you sure when you lost your memory, Hermione, that you didn't lose those brains to?"

Hermione Granger gulped, recognizing the voice.

She was behind enemy lines.

_Oops._

_

* * *

_

_A/N: MUHAHAHAHA! Lol, I love doing this to everyone. Whose voice was that?! Though, again, throw grapes, not tomatoes. Or, as Lady Saruman suggested, potatoes! I cracked up when I read that (it would probably hurt, however). Note that I've got the rest of the story mapped out precisely like I want so I've just got to write it down. As of right now, there are only about four-five chapters left. Maybe more or less, I'm not sure._

_Oh, and I'll totally hand out virtual cookies to any of you for checking out my newest story 'Mistake' - thanks to all of my readers who already have!_

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	25. A Difference of Opinion

**A Difference of Opinion - Chapter 24**

Funny how the voice still managed to resonate some disgust in her. The high-pitched, overly friend chirping hadn't changed since she'd last seen her.

"Umbridge?"

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_-- Five Years Prior --_

At five months along, Hermione glowed like no other. She kept assuring her husband that all the hoopla surrounding 'glowing' pregnant women was just a bunch of nonsense, but he wouldn't have it. He insisted with certainty she had the glow, one far greater than any other woman, pregnant or not, he'd ever seen.

How could she deny a man like that?

Rubbing her swollen belly in gentle circles, she waited patiently for her husband to finish speaking with some Ministry officials. Draco promised to take her to lunch, but he first needed to stop by an office to discuss certain matters. She didn't mind, though the thought of some strawberry ice cream made her mouth water.

Damn cravings.

It had been so bad the previous night Draco actually found himself heading to the nearest grocery shop to locate pickles. She smirked at the memory...

"_Draco?"_

_Gently placing her hand on his shoulder, she shook him lightly out of his sleep. He grumbled into his pillow, but otherwise remained soundless._

_She tried again, "Draco, honey..."_

_Stretching in a half-asleep state, he muttered in a sleep-husky voice, "Was'sa matter?"_

"_I want pickles."_

"_Wha?"_

"_I want pickles dipped in mustard."_

_Finally his attention snapped and he turned to face her, his eyes squinted with sleep and his mouth pursed in confusion._

"_Are you kidding me?"_

_Shaking her head, she replied, "No. I really want pickles right now. We're out, but would you mind terribly running out to pick some up?"_

"_It's two in the bloody morning, Hermione," he choked out, still sounding confused._

"_I know," she acknowledged._

"_You can't possibly be serious."_

_Sighing heavily, she sat herself up out of the bed and gave him a sympathetic smile. "I know it seems crazy. I'll go, you go back to sleep. I'm sor—"_

"_Hermione, lay back down. I'll go."_

_She could hear the annoyance in his voice, but it didn't keep the smile off her face. She at least at the decency to say—"Thanks, love. And don't forget the mustard."_

_Ten minutes later, Hermione was happily chomping on her pickle while a grumbling Draco tried to fall back asleep..._

"I hope you're thinking about me," came a low drawl.

As her content smile grew, she replied, "Just my lover. You know, tall, blond chap whose hair is far too perfect."

"I know the bloke," said Draco, taking a seat next to her, "and I think he's a right fool. Who in their right mind would leave someone so beautiful out here by herself?"

Snorting, she said with a hint of bitterness, "I'm a fat cow, Draco. Beautiful hardly describes my present state."

Sighing, Draco leaned forward to press a kiss to her stomach, rubbing the soft flesh beneath her belly button. "Hurry up and get here. Your mum is crazy if she thinks she isn't gorgeous."

A smile crept back on her face.

"Isn't this sweet," hissed an unkind voice. Hermione instantly gripped Draco's hand, squeezing tightly out of reaction. Even though she hadn't seen the woman for years, her squeaky voice still managed to scare her. _No, I'm NOT afraid of this bottom-feeding bitch_, she thought fiercely.

"Miss Umbridge, it's a...pleasure," said Draco insolently.

Hermione raised her head in order to see the woman's reaction, finding the same pudgy face still resonating waves of hatred. Her short legs looked even stubbier in her black skirt, the white shirt tucked in and bunching around her wide hips. Still flat as a toad, her face appeared pastier from the time she'd last seen her, and with far less make-up. Then again, Azkaban wasn't known for just handing out beauty supplies.

To top it off, glowing chains were wrapped around her stubby wrists. Hermione had the distinct feeling the woman's fingers wanted to wrap around either Draco's neck or her own; whoever she could reach first.

"Mister Malfoy and...Missus Malfoy? You know, after my short reign at Hogwarts I thought I gathered a strong sense of the relationships amongst the students. I never expected the two of you to get together, much less...breed."

Hermione placed a warning hand on Draco's arm, silently telling him not to do something crazy. The last thing she needed was for him to kill the woman in the Ministry, even as much as she'd enjoy seeing the her mean eyes bulge from her head. She figured there must be some law stating one can't kill another just for sport (under other circumstances she would have snorted over the thought).

Letting out an audible exhalation, Draco said, "There are very few things you know about me or my wife, Miss Umbridge. Perhaps you can read up on one of Hermione's many biographies once you get back into incarceration. I'm sure some of those could explain—"

"I know enough about you two these days. Heard quite the talk in Azkaban."

"From who?" asked Hermione, inching closer to Draco.

Smirking, the woman answered, "I don't reveal my sources. I may have been locked in there for several years, but I wasn't in solitary confinement. I've gotten to know quite a few people that know plenty about you two."

"What a charming thing to inform others of," noted Draco sarcastically, "and I'm sure it will help you to find a great husband in there. Or maybe when you get out in a hundred years."

"Oh, you didn't hear?" she exclaimed, her smirking growing and her voice so high-pitched Hermione nearly held her hands to her ears. "I thought everyone knew, but I can understand how they'd want to hide the information from someone like Hermione Granger. Being a war hero, I'm sure you'd be slightly perturbed."

"What in Merlin's name is she talking about?" Draco asked the guard beside her, his wand jamming near the edge of Umbridge's back. The man didn't respond, but merely continued to look at the stocky woman with disgust.

"I'm appealing."

"Hardly," quipped Hermione, Draco and the guard chuckling beside her.

Throwing her a nasty glare, her beady eyes traveling down and lingering on Hermione's pregnant belly, making her feel extremely uncomfortable, she retorted, "No. I'm making an appeal."

"An appeal?" Hermione echoed, turning her wide eyes up at Draco.

Their shared gaze halted when Umbridge continued, "Yes, an appeal. You see, while I may have done certain things at the Ministry, I hardly consider any treatment on others as malicious or even bad—"

"You tortured muggle-born families!" screamed Hermione indignantly, rising to her feet, her face flushed and angry. "You sent people to their deaths! You're a TERRIBLE person!"

Draco stood up next to her, wrapping his arm around, attempting to soothe her. She barely registered his lips near her ear, telling her to calm down for her sake as well as the baby's. Hermione was beyond hearing or responding to anything coming from his mouth, only gnashing her teeth at the woman before her.

"Hardly," the short woman taunted, shrugging her flabby shoulders, repeating Hermione's own jibe back.

"Hardly?!" questioned Hermione, positively outraged. "I stood beside you. I saw everything you did, you horrid, conniving, deceitful_ bitch_!"

"Steady there, Hermione," whispered Draco, rubbing her back and belly soothingly. "Please, calm down. Healer Gordon said you need to keep calm or it will agitate the baby."

Turning into him, he could clearly see her eyes glittering with angry, helpless tears. Draco knew to act; he needed to get her the hell out of there.

"I'm sorry," muttered Umbridge unconvincingly. "I had no idea Miss Granger would react like this."

"Her name is Malfoy and you damn well knew she would. I'll be seeing you again, when Hermione and I fight to the brink in order to make sure you lose your appeal."

"We shall see, Mister Malfoy."

Hermione absolutely dissolved into tears the moment the woman was out of sight. Deciding it best to skip lunch, he flooed them both home. Once inside their flat, Hermione left for their bedroom, collapsing on the bed to weep openly.

0000000

"What happens if they release her?"

Draco set her tea down on the table in front of her, tea he brewed specially in order to soothe her stomach and jumbled nerves. Sighing, rubbing the back of his neck, he shook his head, unsure how to answer her.

"You know she's a tyrant. She'll come out and just...I don't even want to think about the destruction she'll cause. Probably team up with the cow Rita Skeeter and print ludicrous things about Harry and Ron, just like Rita did Dumbledore. Umbridge has it out for Harry."

"We don't even know she'll get out. Come on, Hermione, you know the Ministry would never let her out," he told her, trying to affirm her the situation would resolve. However, Hermione didn't take to his words one bit.

"Drake, you know the Ministry as well as I do. You may work there regularly, but you do so in order to make change. I used to work there and I did so to change the tyranny and diminish the new laws that people like that bitch, Umbridge, set in place. The Ministry may have changed some, especially with Kingsley working there, but come on...you know as well as I do that there is still hostility as well as oppression. People like Umbridge can manipulate others and she will get out."

"Then we won't let her," he said fiercely, dropping to his knees in front of her sitting position, taking her hands in his. "We fight and we don't allow her to get out. What's more, we'll fight to make sure Azkaban has greater security. Screw the dementors and all that, we will make sure people like her can't even think about leaving Azkaban for the sake of an appeal."

"I'm scared, Draco," she admitted, fighting back the tears. "I don't like this at all."

"I know, love, but we'll make it through this. You're a fighter and, more so, you're a winner. You'll fight and you'll win."

0000000

-- _Two Months Later_ --

"After numerous hearings and trials, not to mention new information from the Parkinson and Nott families, I find we can no longer deny certain atrocities have been exaggerated and overstated. While the panel and I have taken the many testimonies into account, particularly Missus Malfoy's deposition, we think our conclusion is correct and her punishment has been completed. By the authority invested in me, by the law and power of the Ministry of Magic, I hereby declare the appeal of one Dolores Umbridge instated in full, beginning today. Miss Umbridge, you're free to go."

A seven-month pregnant Hermione collapsed into Draco, sobbing silently into his chest as he wrapped his arms around her solicitously.

"It's okay," he whispered, "it's going to be okay. It'll be all right."

Even as he said the words, he knew they sounded and felt hollow. The smirk Umbridge shot the couple was just the final Cruciatus Curse in the heart.

0000000

-- _Present Day _--

"Umbridge?"

"Yes, dear, it's me. I'm not sure what I should call you, Hermione. Is it Malfoy or Granger? Or...are you even sure, my dear?"

"You took my children," she choked out, her eyes watering.

"Clever girl, I took Malfoy's children, not yours. I should think you'd be grateful. After all, if you really cared about the children then you'd be with your husband searching for them, no?"

Her nails dug into her palm, forming tiny, white crescents in the skin. She spat, "I don't care what you say, I love this kids. I'll die to protect them."

"That may very well happen. Grab her!"

Out of nowhere, two sets of hands gripped her arms firmly and yanked her to her feet, the mud and snow sloshing around her ankles. Her eyes nearly crossed as Umbridge pointed her wand directly at her face before shouting, "Stupefy!"

Instantly everything went black...

0000000

_Hermione never thought her body could feel like it weighed ten thousand pounds, but she proved herself wrong. The weight of her clothes, simple and modest black attire, felt as though each garment had been sewed with gold lining. Everything felt hefty. Even her eyelids felt too heavy to hold up._

_Feeling her temples throb beneath the skin just about drove her insane. Merely by sheer willpower did she manage to keep her sanity in tact, the two boys beside her driving her to continue fighting._

_Harry and Ron._

_HER Harry and HER Ron had kept at her side the entire time, the trio reacting on instinct not only for themselves but for the other. Just more evidence to assert the value of the friendship._

"_This is it," sighed Harry, his chest rising and falling in rapid secession, mounting panic turning into anguish._

"_Let's do it," said Ron, gripping his wand and taking a step forward._

"_Wait," he told them anxiously, "just wait a second. I've got to ask you one more time...please, don't do this."_

"_Harry, we've gone through this—"_

"_No! No, no more being my best friends. Right now, you're two people who should not be risking their lives. I'm asking...no, I'm BEGGING you to reconsider this. Do not come with me in there. Let me do this on my own, it's not worth your lives."_

_Hermione looked up through her tangled hair, her heart hollow and her head full, the differential so distinct she nearly felt herself toppling over from it. Harry always had been the moody one of the trio, if she got right down to it. Sure, Ron had severe anger mood swings from time to time, but not to the degree of Harry. He got down, lower than the ground, if something plagued his mind. It was up to his two best mates to get him out of it. Right now, his mind cogitated the idea of his friends dying; more so, the idea of his friends dying because of him, a completely ludicrous aspect. Hermione knew better than to let him sulk._

"_Harry, you, Ron, and I are in this together. All for one and one for all, yeah?"_

_Shaking his head, gritting his teeth, he muttered, "This isn't bloody quidditch and this isn't searching through Hogwarts to find Malfoy up to something—"_

"_You're right," interrupted Hermione, staring up through glassy eyes, "this is about us. This is about three people, not students or Gryffindors or even the Golden Trio, but people who want to live in a world free of oppression and of fear. We're not just with our best mate, but with Harry Potter, the hero of the Wizarding World and we fight beside him."_

"_She's right, mate," acknowledged Ron, leaning over to grasp Harry by the shoulder in a comradely fashion; "we're not just doing this for us, but for every wizard and witch out there. I've made my choice. I stand behind Harry Potter. _We _stand behind Harry Potter."_

_Swallowing a thick gulp of cool air, Harry nodded, and pulled the two of them into a brief, albeit fierce, three-way hug. Upon releasing them, he held out his wand, nodded at them as a signal to prepare themselves, and then opened the doors, charging the world's greatest dark wizards and witches._

"_He's mine!" snarled Voldemort, his red eyes blazing with a fierce light of anger and glee, a completely maniacal and deranged look marring his already hideous face._

_Ron knocked two death eaters, Crabbe and Goyle seniors, back with a stunning spell, giving Harry plenty of space to begin his long, tedious duel with the Dark Lord. Following the cast, he immediately went after the larger men, pushing Hermione to go for the women (in the hopes of them being easier to handle physically)._

_Hermione initially maintained close contact with them, keeping herself within range as to protect them if someone dared to fire a shot from behind. However, worrying over another's back began to take a toll, a costly one, and she instead was forced to focus solely on her own survival and the dark people before her._

"_Filthy mudblood spawn,"snarled Bellatrix Lestrange, her evil cackling echoing in Hermione's ears. _If the crazy bitch keeps this up, I'm likely to be bleeding from my ears_, thought Hermione fleetingly. "You're a foul, disgusting little wench, bent on soiling the pure around you."_

"_The only thing pure about you are the wrinkles on your rotted skin, you twit!" shouted Hermione, firing a deflection spell immediately after her words were released. She couldn't allow an unforgivable to take her down. If she managed to fire a Cruciatus, or worse - the killing curse, she'd essentially be done. This thought pained her, not so much for herself but rather her friends, two people who desperately needed her to stay strong._

"_Protego!" she shouted, deflecting another vicious spell of Bellatrix's. Hermione, though book smart and clever, didn't have the field experience like the mad bitch before her._

_One false move would claim her life._

_One mistake would cost her._

_When she made the mistake, moved one second too slow, she saw her life flash before her eyes. She saw her parents playing football with her in the yard as a five-year-old child; she saw herself red in the face, a vase on the table (magically) shattering, when her mother told her she couldn't have cookie before supper; she saw herself being rescued in a bathroom from a troll by two dunderhead boys; she saw herself laughing at the Yule Ball, one of the cutest boys on her arm; she saw her parents smiling over her O.L.W.'s, beaming with pride over their intelligent daughter; and she saw her best friends Harry and Ron laughing and smiling with her, cracking jokes over a glass of butterbeer. _

_Everything in her life, every meaningless and important event flashing before her dark eyes, allowed for a final smile to twist her lips._

_Yet, suddenly, out of nowhere, she found herself crashing to her right side and sprawled on the floor, a heavy body on top of hers. At first she figured someone had been killed and thrown into her. Then a wisp of red hair fell across her own face and she felt hands wrapping around her head as though for protection._

_Ron._

_Ron had thrown himself over her in order to protect her._

"_Ron?"_

_Only, he didn't answer. As soon as she lifted up, she felt a jolt of a spell hitting flesh but it wasn't her own. Bellatrix, the evil bitch, cast the killing curse on Ron, taking his life without a second thought._

"_Oh no...NO!"_

_Rolling Ron onto his back, she took a moment to knock Bellatrix back with a simple deflection spell. She ran her hands across his pale face, his look suggesting that his final thought had been, 'well, shit. The bitch got me.'_

_Tears fell down her cheeks, landing unchecked on his own still face, as she murmured, "You stupid, stupid fool! You shouldn't have done that. Why didn't you let me go? Why did you sacrifice yourself?"_

_As though expecting an answer, she took another second to rub his soft cheek and sift her hands through his coppery hair._

_Rational thought gone, she rose to her feet and physically launched herself at the woman, knocking her wand away. Punching, hitting, scratching, and viciously clawing at her sallow skin without mercy, Hermione beat on Bella for all she was worth. Her mind, far beyond reason or critical thought, sat dumbly and allowed her to take out all the anger and anguish and despair and hate she felt on the witch who caused it._

_She took Ron away from her._

_From her and Harry._

_Oh no, Harry!_

_With her nails digging into the witch's face, her fight long since gone and life slowly seeping away, Hermione glanced over her shoulder in pursuit of Harry. Several death eaters lay slain on the ground while others were crowded around Harry and another dark, hooded figure._

_Voldemort._

_Hermione couldn't hear, only the sound of her rapidly beating heart resonating in her mind, but she could see Harry and Voldemort firing spell after spell against each other._

"_Avada Kedavra!"_

"_Protego!"_

"_You little runt, useless boy, you must die!" he hissed, his long, ugly tongue slipping out from his thin lips._

_Disgusted, Harry quipped, "The only useless thing here is your feeble body of bones, bones which will now be turned into DUST! BAN DESTRUERE!"_

_Then it happened._

_In one instant Voldemort was standing and in the next...Harry's spell flittered through his snake-like form, and he dropped like a stone on the ground - dead. Furthermore, his body seemed to deflate, leaving nothing save thin, hideous flesh behind._

_The bastard finally got his._

"_Harry!" she called, out of her mind with joy, exhaustion, and fear._

_Turning his head, his green eyes met hers, a smile giving her a silent message of thanks and love, before she felt a wand jamming in her back._

_And everything went black..._

"HARRY!"

Sitting bold up right, drenched head to toe in cold sweat, Hermione frantically looked around the filthy confines of some sort of dungeon. Nothing of her surroundings registered as she dropped her face in her hands and sobbed as if her heart would break.

"No, Harry...Ron..."

Hermione lost her boys in cold blood.

* * *

_A/N: So, I hope this chapter cleared up everyone's suspicions. Kudos to whoever guessed right - there were a few of you - about Umbridge. Always hated her, but after Hallows - Ugh! Can't stand the evil wench. And don't worry - There will be more "present" interaction in the next chapter. This was a mixture of memories and things that went down years prior. Before everyone asks, I'll explain - the --five years earlier-- thing - No, Hermione does NOT remember that stuff. It was merely to inform you._

_"To me, this story is reminiscent of Paycheck...where the main character loses his memory and his friend and love help him get it back..dunno if you drew inspiration from this," -cyr1988_

_Answer: You know, I've never thought of that. I've seen the movie, but no, it has nothing to do with it._ A Dream Worth Keeping _was actually inspired by - you'll all laugh - reality. I can genuinely envision everything that I'm explaining. Their bedroom is one I've been in before; the dresses and outfits she wears often are clothes that I myself wear; the jewels I describe are all real. The memories and ideas are simply my creative senses at work, but the setting and such comes from real places._

A Dream Worth Keeping _is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	26. A Dream Worth Keeping

**A Dream Worth Keeping - Chapter 25**

_Sucking on his ear, Hermione smirked to herself as she heard him let out a moan deep from inside his gut. His fingers clenched at her waist, bunching up the fabric of her nightgown, pleasurably pinching her soft flesh. With her legs tangled in his, she lifted one bare leg across his calf and up his knee, making him growl into her neck._

"_You're bloody ravenous tonight," she whispered, grinding her hips into his lap, feeling his hands roam over her bum._

_Nuzzling her cheek, pressing kisses along her jaw, he replied, "Well, you're bloody gorgeous tonight. I can't help myself. Now, shut up and kiss me like a good little girl."_

_She giggled as he flipped them over, rolling on top of her, straddling her waist. Their lips crashed together in a series of frenzied kisses, tongues battling for dominance. His hands lifted up, fingers untwisting the loose bun atop her head, finding the concept very difficult._

"_Damn it," he swore, actually bringing her head to rest upon his right shoulder so he could witness his fingers' clumsy movements. "Did you use a sticking charm on this thing?"_

"_Just pull the ribbon, Drake," she moaned, impatiently tugging at his clothes._

_Just as she found the drawstring to this pajama bottoms and pulled it loose, he tugged the ribbon from the bow, her hair instantly falling down, waves upon waves of curls brushing across his arms. Nodding at his handiwork, making Hermione roll her eyes, he pulled her face back to his, kissing her deeply._

_Her swollen breasts brushed against his bare chest, the silky fabric still separating them. Just as he attempted to liberate her flesh, to alleviate the problem, a loud wail stopped his movements._

"_Argh," he grumbled, pressing his face in the juncture between her neck and shoulder, which was damp with heavy perspiration; "not fair. Can't she wait an hour? Or hell, wait bloody fifteen minutes?"_

_Kissing the tip of his nose, Hermione moved herself off him, smoothing the fabric back down. "She's just a baby, Draco, and she's hungry. Let me feed her quickly and then I'll come back and finish you off."_

_Giving him a coy wink, she wrapped a fluffy white robe around her body and walked to the door. Draco, still unbearably aroused, fell back on the pillows, reminding himself he had to share his wife._

_Hermione quickly trotted to Roxy's nursery, opening the door to see her daughter crying in her bassinet. Cooing her baby girl, she lifted the child into her arms, carrying her to the rocking chair seated by the window. Situating herself, and the baby, into a comfortable position, she untied her robe and slipped her nightgown down, exposing her breast. Roxanne latched on and suckled greedily while Hermione ran her fingers through the baby's soft hair._

"_Ignore your father," she told her; "you can cry all you want."_

_Meanwhile, Draco tied his pajama bottoms and followed his wife into the nursery, still prepared to shag her senseless. Upon entering his daughter's room, his eyes rested on the two most important people in his life: his wife and baby girl, happily content in the rocking chair._

"_She's a hungry little thing," she noted absently, her words directed to Draco but her eyes still on her baby. "She must get her appetite from you."_

"_I don't doubt that," he murmured, brushing her head, selfishly eyeing his wife's currently busy breast._

_Smirking, Hermione told him, "Be a good boy and you will get rewarded."_

"_I will be a very good boy, then," he replied, sitting himself on the small couch across from her, smiling thoughtfully._

_0000000_

_-- Ten minutes later -- _

_All three of them were fast asleep._

_0000000_

_-- One Hour Later -- _

_Draco rubbed his bleary eyes, at a loss momentarily for where in the hell he was. Then he remembered - Roxanne's bedroom. Feeling a sleep-heavy weight on top of him, he lifted his eyes to find Hermione sprawled beside him, snoozing the night away. Sighing to himself, realizing instantly he wasn't getting any tonight, he carefully extricated himself from Hermione and walked cautiously to his daughter's crib._

"_You little imp," he chided without any malice, "you tired your mother out. Are you punishing your dad for some reason? Can't you let me have one night with your mum?" He affectionately rubbed her soft cheek._

_Hermione, recognizing the loss of Draco's warm body, woke with a groggy start, yawning widely._

"_Drake?"_

"_I'm right here. I'm just checking on Roxanne," he told her quietly, smiling down at his daughter. He didn't understand how, but he fell more and more in love with his girl each day. Roxanne was just perfect - his perfect creation. He found his redemption in his wife, but received completeness with his daughter._

_Standing up, she walked to the crib, leaning into his back and wrapping her arms around his toned waist._

"_I fell asleep," she said unnecessarily._

"_So I noticed," he teased, brushing his little girl's cheek. "It's okay, I did too. Why didn't you wake me up once you put her down?"_

"_I meant to. I was planning on it, but then I sat next to you and you felt so comfy..."_

_Chuckling, he whispered, "Come on, let's let her sleep. You and I are going to bed."_

_Facing her, he gave her a small, nearly defeated smile, brushing her cheek in the same manner he had his daughter. Before she could say anything, he lifted her into his arms and carried her into their room, using wandless magic to shut Roxanne's door._

"_Drake, I'm awake," she said drowsily. "We can still...ya'know..."_

_Smiling at her sleep-slurred words, he replied, "We can _ya'know _another night. I'll hold you to a make-up shag. Actually, I think I may just shag you in the morning."_

_Placing her into the bed gingerly, covering her body with the heavy comforter, he brushed back some of his wife's hair._

"_I'll shag...ya...righ'now..."_

_Drifting completely off, turned on her side and snuggling into the pillow, Draco shook his head, walking around to his side of the bed. Getting under the duvet himself, he turned out the light and pulled her pliant body into his, kissing her on the forehead warmly before drifting off to join her and their baby girl._

_0000000_

_-- The following morning -- _

_Draco finally got his shag..._

_0000000_

Waking up with a start, Hermione found her head throbbing and her body shivering from the cold. Small pebbles were clinging to her chilly skin, a mixture of goosebumps and dirt marring her body. Coughing weakly, Hermione scanned the room to find the dungeon still just as dark and grimy as it had been when she'd woken earlier.

Merlin, were the children in a similar place?

She shuddered to think.

Realizing she had quite a bit of time on her hands, she took it to think about her family and life with Draco. He really was an amazing man clearly in love with his wife.

"He's wonderful," she breathed, her eyes filling up with angry tears, "so very wonderful and I can't even remember being his wife. I can feel it. I know I can."

Truth of the matter, she could definitely feel it. In the last several days she could feel bizarre thoughts regarding Draco - thoughts she did not quite understand. Wherever the thoughts were coming from, she couldn't say, but they certainly caused some duress for her.

She loved Draco.

She loved him with her whole heart, the kids, too, and now she found herself away from the family she promised to love and honor and take care of and AGH! All right, the true root of her confusion arose from feeling she both didn't know Draco and feeling she knew him better than her own soul. As a practical person, Hermione didn't understand the duel beliefs existing at once. Nothing, in her opinion, made sense.

Hermione liked when things made sense.

Hearing the noise of a thick door opening, she jerked her head up, her dark eyes falling on the same Umbridge she saw earlier. Somehow, seeing the woman made her feel a little bit better.

It was not just a dream.

Everything occurring was real.

At least that seemed practical in some sense.

"Good evening, Missus Malfoy, how are you feeling?" she asked in her high pitched, nasally voice. "Would you care for anything to make you comfortable? Some water? Perhaps some fruit?"

"As _Snow White_ as_ that_ sounds, I'd rather see my children," she said calmly, though her voice held the resignation of someone who didn't expect to get what she wanted. Good thing, too, for Umbridge had no intention of allowing such a thing.

"_Snow White_?"

"It's a muggle children's story, but I'm sure you don't care. You're not the typical muggle supporter, I s'pose."

Giving her an unkind smile, Umbridge continued, "I came in here to discuss a few things with you. You know, you really could have avoided all of this. Well, maybe not for yourself, but for those children and your husband."

"Meaning?"

"Meaning that if you hadn't married your husband and produced those disgusting roes of yours, I wouldn't have to do all of this. I could have just killed you and your family would have remained safe."

"Under your suggestion, my children never would have existed. I wouldn't give them up for anything," said Hermione firmly. Oh, and how she _knew_ she, herself, meant it.

"Even to save them from a painful death?" countered Umbridge, quirking her head to the side.

Hermione didn't reply.

"Your silence is enough of an answer," hissed the short woman. "Anyway, since you did decide to ruin my life, I decided to ruin the entire Malfoy dynasty. I want to destroy you, your husband, your daughter, and your charming little boy. He has been talking up a storm since his arrival here. Crying a lot too. The other brat has not only been whining, but kicking the shins of many of my...employees. You really should have disciplined her better. Weren't you paying attention to anything I did when I ran Hogwarts?"

Beaming with pride, Hermione retorted, "I've never been more proud of my daughter than I am right now. It clearly tells me that she is an excellent judge of character, precisely why she acted unsavory toward your..._employees_." Shooting the woman a nasty smile, she finished, "and as for your actions as the temporary headmistress of Hogwarts, I am dutifully attempting to repress those lovely memories."

"Shame," said the stout witch, turning her back on Hermione. After pacing for a few seconds, sending glances to the hooded figures by the door, apparently her 'employees' waiting for her, "I think you had real potential back when you were physically at the age you mentally are now."

"Whatever. Look, I'd rather stay here and sleep so unless you have anything important to tell me, I think you can be on your way. My husband should be here shortly."

"I'm counting on it. I bet your husband will be here _very _soon and I have people out looking for him in the hopes of getting him here even sooner. Now, let me finish. You see, I had to put an end to you. I knew Hermione Granger, war hero and the only member left of the Golden Trio, would hinder any plan of mine. You were, and still are, holding me back. Once you're gone, nobody will dare try to stop me. I can get back into the good graces of the Ministry and once again work my way to the top."

"That could never happen. The idiots of the Ministry may be stupid, but they're not brain dead. They'll be able to see through your lies. And why in the hell would they hire some bitch who escaped—"

"They didn't see through my lies during my appeal, now did they?"

At this, Hermione couldn't answer. _Appeal? What appeal was that? When was that? Didn't she...escape...No. No she didn't. She got an appeal. She appealed to the Ministry and gave them bullshit while Parkinson and Nott testified. _Hermione didn't know how she knew this, but it suddenly just came to her.

She knew.

"I always intended on ending you, but didn't know how exactly. I changed my plans of staging Draco's death to lure you in until you presented yourself as such an easy target. Really, inviting a glamoured death eater into your home? How you're such a trusting person. Everyone has a weakness, and that is most definitely yours."

Glancing up, Hermione could see the moonlight coming through the small window.

Night officially had fallen.

She needed to reach her kids.

Soon.

"Your memory loss was truly an opportunity and I capitalized off it."

Chuckling to herself, Hermione replied, much to Umbridge's shock, "I already knew everything you just told me."

And it wasn't a lie.

Hermione didn't just know it, she felt it.

0000000

-- Two Hours Earlier --

"Damn it!" roared Draco in complete frustration. "First my kids and now she is Merlin knows where, probably trying to figuring this all out on her own. She shouldn't be alone right now!"

"Perhaps if you hadn't yelled at her and said asinine things—"

"Ginny, not right now," interrupted Blaise, his words addressed to her but his eyes on his best mate. His wife turned her stare on him making him continue, "He doesn't need this. Let's try to be positive."

Snorting, Draco asked, "And how can we positive? Ginny's right, I fucked up."

"Hermione shouldn't have run off," argued Bill, his fingers twitching in his lap.

The Weasley Family had been woken up in the middle of the night by the youngest, Ginny, the girl requesting their immediate presence at her home. At the words 'family emergency' none of them hesitated, instead quickly dressing and racing over there. Hermione explained the situation, including all about her memory loss, before informing them about the present situation. Considering Hermione was practically another daughter and sister, every Weasley agreed to do everything to find her and those precious children.

"Well what can we do?" asked Mr. Weasley, his leg bouncing restlessly. "I can go to the Ministry and we can begin a search. Have every official—"

"No," said Draco firmly; "no way in hell. I don't trust the Ministry, not with my life and certainly not with the life of my family."

"Then we're out of options. If you don't want the Ministry's help, how can we go about this? Nearly everyone we know has some connection with the Ministry, and the ones that don't, won't bother helping us in fear of their own safety," reasoned George, shaking his head in frustration.

Sighing, Blaise reasoned, "We're not out of options. Look, we can do this on our own. Now, Draco and I received letters long ago threatening us of something like this happening. We had people try to break down the door the day Hermione and Draco got married. Surely the same people that did that are doing this."

"And who are those people?" asked Fred tersely.

"Well, I can still hear Parkinson's ugly voice grinding in my head so I'm sure she is somehow involved. I recognized Nott and that stupid nephew of Avery's. What's his name?"

"Henry," replied Ginny absentmindedly, biting her nails as she thought about her friend and the children.

"Yeah, that bloke. There, that's three to start with. Let's try going through them first."

"And what exactly do you plan on saying Blaise?" questioned Bill, his voice taking on a sarcastic tone; "hi, I'm searching for the Malfoy children. Can I check your basement? Not bloody likely."

"No, but with more aggressive tactics. Draco and I weren't known for having the er...nicest of upbringing. We'll go all Slytherin on them."

"Do you even know where they live? Hell, you're going to go all Slytherin on Slytherins! They have been doing dark magic since you lot left school. What makes you think you two will be able to handle them?"

"Cause with the way I'm feeling, I'm capable of hurting them," answered Blaise truthfully. "I'll do anything to get those brats back. You with me, Draco?"

For a moment, the blond man said nothing, instead rubbing the back of his neck while he spent the moment pondering. After a few seconds of gnashing his own teeth and coming up with a proper solution, Draco replied, in a deadly calm voice, "Yeah, but we're going to do things a little differently. Blaise is right. I need to venture into my roots, so we're going to go deep into it. I'm gong to head into Knockturn."

"No! You cannot possibly be serious!" objected Mrs. Weasley, her glassy eyes blinking rapidly. "Draco, that place will eat you alive. You're a traitor there."

"It's better than waiting. It's better than finding out my kids have been murdered or something happened to my wife. I'm going to Knockturn whether any of you agree with me."

"I'm coming with you," Blaise told him at once.

Gripping his arm, Ginny whispered, "I don't like you there."

Peering down at her, he muttered, "I know, but I have to go. You know he'd do it for our kids. I have to do it for theirs. I love Roxanne and Bailey."

"I know. Autumn and I will be waiting for you."

"We're all going," said Fred, clasping George's shoulder, "Aren't we?"

Shaking his head, Blaise answered, "No, Weasleys won't be welcomed there. Besides, it'll be too obvious. Draco and I might be able to get away with it. The Malfoy and Zabini names may be hated, but people will still listen to whatever we have to say."

"I guess that makes sense," noted Bill, rubbing his bearded chin.

Shuffling on his feet, rubbing his wife's tense shoulder, Blaise finally asked, "You ready to do this, mate?"

Sighing heavily, Draco growled, "I was born ready."

0000000

-- One Hour Later --

Draco Malfoy hated Knockturn Alley.

In his youth, he used to think the place made him seem older and cool even, hanging around the shady areas under the protection of his powerful father. Nobody dared mess with him in the presence of Lucius Malfoy. One would end up dead if anyone messed with Draco under Lucius' watch. The safety of his father made him feel superior, important, and incredibly dangerous.

At twelve, hanging around Knockturn became somewhat of a favorite pastime. Well, as long as he stayed under the safety cloak of his father.

Now Draco hated the place, for various reasons; of reminding him of his terrible childhood; his father's distasteful preparatory; and the dubious people in association with the place.

He didn't like thinking of his children being somewhere in there. Merlin, he hoped they were in better sights than the pubs he kept passing.

The beggars and other homeless witches and wizards approached the cloaked men, hissing for them to spare a galleon or a sickle. Ignoring them, they went passed the various shops, eyes searching for any sign of someone who could help them.

At least, so Blaise thought.

"Why aren't we talking to anyone? Should we be asking about them?" whispered Blaise, starting to grow weary of the place, thanking Merlin his family was at home; safe.

Shrugging indifferently, "I think I'll wait for them to come to me."

"They might snag you then," reasoned Blaise.

"I know."

Yes, Draco hated this place.

Yet, in a way Knockturn brought him good thoughts about Hermione.

If only cause it reminded him of how she managed to change him from a miserable bastard into a good man...

"_Do you think Roxy will like having a brother or a sister?" she asked thoughtfully, rubbing her hands through her daughter's hair. Sitting between Draco's legs, leaning against his chest, him pressed against their favorite tree, Roxanne nestled in her lap, the whole family enjoyed some serenity in each others' company._

_Pressing a gentle kiss to her temple, rubbing the side of her protruding belly in soft, comforting circles, Draco replied, "I think so. Why? Don't you?"_

_Shrugging, she answered quietly, "I don't know. I mean, you and I don't know what it's like to grow up with a sibling. I mean, I know the good with being an only child. You get all the attention."_

"_You never have to share," he supplied._

"_Every holiday becomes about you."_

"_You always get to do everything first."_

"_You always get to lick the spoon when helping mum bake cookies."_

"_You never get hand-me-downs."_

"_You're mum's favorite."_

"_You're dad's favorite."_

_Snuggling up to him, pulling a sleeping Roxy even closer to her bosom, she nodded in agreement to their thoughts._

"_Did you like being an only child?" she asked, closing her eyes._

_After a few moments of contemplation, he said, "I did at the time. I loved being the center of attention and never having to share with anyone. Marriage sure was a shock for me when I finally did have to share everything. I didn't know that when I married you that you'd move in with me."_

_Chuckling, she teased back, "Yeah. I know the feeling. I didn't know that by marrying you I'd only get to sleep with you from now on."_

"_Clearly I'm doing all right. We've got a second one on the way," he noted smugly._

"_Oh yes, you did all the work. You do realize that it's me who has to push the kid out. Blimey, I'm an idiot for doing this again."_

_Draco caught the hint of apprehension and fear in her voice, not to mention the slight tremble from her body. He knew, of course, she didn't think she could do it again. Her first time with labor had been hell, hours upon hours of painful pushing. The final result was a beautiful one, but still - it caused her such pain._

_Sighing, he gave her a slight squeeze. "If I could do it for you, I would. You know that."_

"_So says a man," she mumbled, rubbing Roxanne's tiny foot. "Men say they're willing to take the pain on, but you're all so full of it. If any of you knew how much it smarts, you wouldn't even want to touch another woman again if it meant having to endure another bout of pain."_

"_You let me touch you again," he challenged lightly. "Admit it. I'm just that good in bed."_

"_I don't want to inflate your ego further. It's already too big and we can barely fit in the bed as it is. You, me, and this big belly of mine."_

_Laughing into her neck, he pressed a few kisses up to her jaw, running his hands over her healthy bulge. While Hermione was enjoying her pregnancy fine enough, she hated how she began to show so much earlier with the second tyke. The healers assured it was normal and even Molly Weasley told her time and time again to expect this sort of thing when expanding the family, but it didn't make Hermione feel any better. She'd been feeling _especially_ big the last few days, making Draco's life a little more stressful._

"_I, for one, don't mind sharing the bed...with the kid, at least."_

_He felt her shake with light laughter, making him grin wider. Anything that brought on a smile certainly was a good thing._

"_Anyway, let's get back to the topic at hand. Do you think Roxy will like having another little sibling?"_

"_I do. Even with all the perks of being an only child, I think having other siblings will outweigh them," he replied thoughtfully. "For starters, you always have someone to play with."_

"_Or fight with, at the very least."_

"_That, too. Er, the older sibling still gets to do everything first while the baby gets to be the baby."_

"_Yes, and the baby supposedly gets away with murder. Knowing you, I'm sure that will happen. You already coddle Roxanne too much."_

"_Missus Malfoy, you've been known to coddle her yourself," he remarked with a hint of mischief._

_Shrugging, she shot back tartly, "I'm just being a supportive mother."_

"_Right, love."_

"_Moving on. Um, where were we?"_

_Once again, Hermione seemed to forget even the simplest things. Draco found it utterly endearing. "Good points of having a sibling."_

"_Oh yeah. Well, the older sibling gets to act as a role model whereas the baby gets to have someone to look up to and learn from."_

"_You get to have a special bond nobody can understand save each other."_

"_You always have someone to owl."_

"_You always have a place to stay."_

"_You always have someone to borrow a broom from."_

"_You always have someone to have your back."_

"_You always have someone. Period."_

_Staring down at their sleeping baby, their newest one nestled safely in Hermione's tummy, Hermione and Draco felt content with their family. Of course Roxanne was a little handful, and quite the terror at times (just ask her uncle Blaise!), but the good things outweighed the bad all the way._

"_Harry and I were always jealous of Ron growing up. I mean, he had all those siblings and we didn't have any. He wouldn't admit it to us, or even to himself, but we both knew he loved having all his brothers and his sister."_

"_Why do you think it bothered him so much though? Why wouldn't he admit it?" asked Draco inquisitively._

"_I think it frustrated him that he always had someone in his way," she answered softly, closing her eyes as she thought about her departed friend, "that he had to live up to someone. You know, he wasn't the all Hogwarts boy like Bill or the quidditch star like Charlie. He wasn't as funny as Fred and George or as smart as Percy. And Ginny even had it over him by being the first female in generations. He never felt good enough, for anyone or anything."_

_Draco remained quiet, feeling the shame bubbling over him - he knew his teasing never helped Ron during his time growing up. Draco surely added to his self-consciousness and aggravation._

"_He was wrong. Even if he wasn't the best quidditch player or the smartest...he was Ron. His brothers, sister, and parents loved him just as he was. Harry and I loved him just like that. I think - I was their sister. Harry and Ron were the closest things I had to siblings and you know what? I loved every second with them."_

"_Then we shouldn't be worrying, should we? Roxy and the new kid will love each other very much," he assured her, breathing in her pretty scent._

"_I think you're right."_

_Draco didn't say it, but he had a feeling he was too..._

"Draco, do you see that?"

Turning in the direction Blaise pointed, he saw two cloaked figures signaling them to approach.

"How you wanna do this?"

"Blaise, turn back," said Draco firmly, "I've got to do this."

"I'm not leaving you."

"This isn't the time to be a hero. You've got a daughter to think about."

"So do you. And last time I checked, I'd been named her Godfather and Godfather to little B. I'm in this with you."

Closing his eyes briefly, fighting for control over his mounting hysteria, knowing Blaise's refusal wouldn't abruptly end, he nodded as he started to walk toward the figures. Neither of the men liked their disguise, the cloaks blocking out any light from revealing not so much as a single piece of flesh to identify them.

No matter. They both knew the circle the two belonged to.

"Malfoy."

"Where are my kids?" he snarled, his throat oddly constricted.

"You want to see them?" the other one asked, alerting Draco and Blaise both cloaked figures were male.

Before Draco could erupt, Blaise yelled, "Don't fuck with us! Tell us where those kids are!"

"Calm yourself. You'll see them, but there are some constraints and conditions."

"And what are they this time? Money? What?" asked Draco impatiently.

Tilting his head to the right, the man answered, "You."

Ah, and there was the simplicity.

Just him - to get his family.

The answer hardly needed a reply.

"All right. Let's do it. Exchange me however you want, but I want my kids out of there now."

Lifting up a gloved finger, the man shook it mockingly, making Draco bite his tongue in annoyance. "What's the problem?" he managed to get out through clenched teeth.

"Our...employer, shall we say, wants us to bring you first. Then, if all goes well, we'll leave the children in a very crowded area where your friend here will surely find them. I'll assume that with the new baby, you're house is child ready. You're about to add two more kids to the brood."

"You son of a—"

"Let's do it," snapped Draco.

"Drake, you can't...you—"

"I can and I will. You know that I have to. When they're released, find them and take care of them. Find Hermione. Merlin..." he turned around, facing his best mate, walking forward, "tell her I love her. Take care of her."

"You're not dying," warned Blaise, his eyes dark.

Chuckling to himself - cackling even - Draco told him, "You know as well as I that this doesn't look good. Just, do what we promised each other a while back. I promised to take care of your family and you promised to take care of mine."

Blaise lifted his eyebrows.

"Blaise, _please_," Draco urged, "I just need you to _do as we promised_."

Nodding, Blaise gave in. Yes, he'd made that promise long ago, just as Draco had done for him. If ever in any dangerous situation, they promised this to each other.

Promise evoked and completed, Draco continued, "Please, take care of them. Take care of her."

"Take care of her?" questioned the man, interrupting the conversation between two sorrowful friends; "are you referring to Hermione?"

"You care, why?" hissed Draco, turning around, smoothing his shirt out.

"Well, cause he can hardly protect her, let alone take care of her, when she's already in our clutches."

"You have my wife," he spat. It wasn't a question.

"Yes, and she's been having quite the time with our boss. All you have to do is come along with us. I'm sure we'll be merciful and allow you two to die together."

The man grabbed Draco's shoulder and apparated them straight away, so quickly Blaise didn't even have a second to say goodbye or wish his friend some luck or anything.

Draco was gone.

0000000

-- Present Time --

"Your memory loss was truly an opportunity and I capitalized off it."

Chuckling to herself, Hermione replied, much to Umbridge's shock, "I already knew everything you just told me."

And it wasn't a lie.

Hermione didn't just know it, she felt it.

Suddenly, the heavy door opened and Hermione saw Draco being thrown inside, landing ungracefully on his hands and knees.

"Draco!"

Getting to her feet, she rushed over to him, skidding to a halt on her own knees, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and chest, hugging him.

"Are you all right?" he asked her, panting, sounding like he'd just received a savage punch to the gut. Close - it was a few swift kicks.

Nodding wordlessly, she gave him a slight squeeze, pulling him back into a sitting position and leaning against a filthy wall. The death eaters, Umbridge included, were conversing on the other side, ignoring the couple, giving them a few moments of peace. Draco, sucking in a few deep breaths, regained his breathing level and turned his attention on her, running his hands through her hair and brushing some tears from her cheeks.

"I'm sorry," he whispered, "for everything I said. I love you. I don't care whose memory you have, you're mine. I'm never giving you up. I love you too much."

"I know. I know, Draco, and I'm sorry too. I shouldn't have run off. I'm such a bloody idiot for doing it, but at least we're together. We can get through anything together. Right?"

Smiling wanly, he agreed, "Yeah, we can. We always have."

Lifting her hand, she cupped his cheek, bringing his face down to brush her lips against his. When the kiss ended, she told him everything her heart had been telling her from the start.

"Draco, I love you. You're everything I want and more. You're kind, generous, loving, and the greatest father I think I've ever known. You're perfect."

"You're perfect," he breathed, pulling her closer to him.

"Draco, if I wake up tomorrow to find myself back in bed in my sixth year at Hogwarts - to find out all this has been one dream...then it's a dream worth keeping. It's a dream worth anything."

Grabbing her by the neck, he pulled her in for a searing kiss, his other arm wrapping around her waist. Merlin, if he could make love to her on the cold hard floor, with less at stake than their children's lives, he would have.

He loved Hermione.

Memory or no memory.

When he broke the kiss, he said, "Look, I'm going to get out us out of here. I've go—"

Two men grabbed Draco by his shirt, yanking him from her arms and throwing him harshly into the middle of the room.

"NO!"

Rising to her feet, she jumped on the back of one Gregory Goyle, hitting him incessantly in the back of the shoulders and head in her rage.

"Deal with the little wench!" screamed Daphne Greengrass, throwing her hood off.

Goyle, dizzy at Hermione's outburst and punches, used his weight in his favor by walking backwards and ramming Hermione straight into a wall. Her head impacted with a loud - thwack - before she slid to the ground, dazed and confused.

Clutching her head, Hermione felt a jolt rush through her.

"You see, not even the Malfoy family can defeat us. Once we rid you two and your spawn from Hell, we can begin reclaiming what was given to us at birth."

Sputtering, a few drops of blood falling down his chin, Draco muttered, "Birth rights mean nothing. You mean nothing! You hurt my wife and kidnapped my children; I'm going to make you pay!"

Still on the ground, Draco pulled Blaise's wand from his pocket. Did Draco forget to mention to those two hooded men that the promise between him and Blaise had to do with handing over their wands to each other if ever in need, no questions asked? Oops. Well, when they took Draco's wand from him upon their arrival in this dingy old place, Draco figured it prudent not to tell them he had an extra wand lingering in his trousers. _Well, two extra wands_, he thought with a smirk.

Pointing the wand at Umbridge's general direction, he started to cast a curse to render the whole lot of them immobile, but Pansy's foot caught him off guard. With a good kick, she sent Blaise's wand flying out of his hand.

"Ha! Even your ex-girlfriend seems to get the best of you," taunted Umbridge, her fat smile oozing with victory, making her look even more toad-like. Pansy walked in front of Draco, standing above him, smirking her pug face down to meet his eyes.

"Oh Draco, dear, you chose the wrong side when you picked Granger. Not only is the girl ugly, but she hardly seems to be worth a damn. I mean, the stupid chit is why you're here. You chose poorly."

"I chose wisely," he retorted defiantly, "and it's amazing you call her ugly considering she's the only beauty in this roo—"

CRACK!

Rolling on his side, clutching his ribs where she'd just kicked him, hard, Draco attempted to catch his breath.

"How dare you?!" bellowed Pansy furiously.

"No, how dare you?"

Turning on her heel, Pansy found herself nose to nose with Hermione, whose face looked enraged enough to spit nails.

"Nobody touches my husband, least of all some ghastly creature like you."

SMACK!

Hermione's fist connected with Pansy's jaw, knocking the girl flat to her bum, the sound echoing on all the walls. Draco looked from her face to her hand, spotting Blaise's wand in her tight fist. Lifting his gaze back up, their eyes connected in a timeless moment.

Hermione, his wife, was finally back.

Hermione's memory had returned.

* * *

_A/N: Yay! Finally, we've got the Hermione we fell in love with back. I've been dying to write this chapter for so long! Most of the lines from this chapter were written on my computer, but I just had to wait until the right time. It was this one. Hope it's well-received._

_I'm actually leaving for my spring break vaca in oh - four hours! - and I still need to finish packing and get some sleep. I stayed up uber late to finish this for you guys (stupid corrupted flash drive kept me from posting this weeks ago). I hope to return to find some happy thoughts :) Only two chapters left (possibly only one - but right now it's two) and again I'm finding myself growing melancholy - I LOVE this story. Hate to see it end - actually no, I'm excited for the ending. Like this chapter, I've been itching to write it!_

_Oh and um - who else is excited to know Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows movie is going to be two films!! Two separate films, that means (roughly) five/six hours total to tell the final tale! I'm freaking out personally and cannot wait to wear my Ravenclaw scarf I knitted myself to the last THREE movies!!_

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	27. The Strength of a Family

**The Strength of a Family - Chapter 26**

For a second Draco thought his eyes betrayed him, filling him with a void of hope he knew would disappear. Hermione, his Hermione, standing before him with a bloody wand?! No, far too good to be true.

"How in the hell did she get that?" barked Umbridge, staring at Hermione in aghast.

"Get her!"

And then all hell broke loose...

0000000

"The itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the water mouth," sang Roxy in a low voice (though a version she rewrote, much to her mother's amusement), her hands and fingers dancing to the music; "down came the rain and washed the spider out. Up came the sun and fried up all the rain and the itsy-bitsy spider crawled up the mouth again."

"Will you shut up, you little annoying brat!" shouted a woman with a shrill voice seated in the corner, her eyes blazing. "If I have to listen to you sing much longer I'm going to Avada your arse! This is why people shouldn't be allowed to breed. I _HATE _children."

"You're a meanhead," said Roxy, frowning at her captor.

The other adult occupant in the room started to chuckle, looking up at the enraged woman. "The girl has a point. You're being rather mean considering she isn't really doing much."

"Not doing much? The little twirp has been singing since we brought her in here and I hate spiders! Probably even more than children. The last thing I want to listen to is the rambling of someone who can't even spell her own name."

"I can too!" yelled Roxy indignantly, crossing her arms, looking exactly like Draco. "It's R - O - X - Y, you meanhead!"

Again the man started to laugh, his deep chortles earning him a glare from his partner, still appearing furious enough to blast Roxanne into tomorrow.

The little girl, however, was not put off in the slightest, instead turning her pretty head around, flipping her curly locks at the woman in distaste, and marched over to join her sobbing little brother.

She stared down at the boy with a pitiful expression, feeling just as much heartache as him, only masking it for his sake. She knew her daddy did that whenever sad, determined not to make her mother unhappy. Her daddy was much bigger, precisely why he protected her. She'd do the same for her little brother.

Sitting down beside him, she took his wrinkled shirt from his hands, making him face her. He struggled initially, but after realizing it was just his older sister, someone he recognized and trusted, he thrust his arms around her waist, and hung on tightly. As she rubbed his back just like her dad did for her mum, she whispered, "It's okay, B. Mummy and Daddy will get here and Daddy will beat them up. We're gonna be okay."

Comforted by the mere presence of his sister, not to mention her soft, albeit tired, voice in his ear, he fell asleep, his blond head nestled snugly in her lap. Roxy knew she could lend her baby brother her strength and together they'd make it out. She believed in her parents - they were coming for them both.

"The runt looks like Malfoy," hissed the woman, her dark eyes leering at the people huddled in the corner. "Such a shame, too. How can something look so pure, but be filled with muddy blood?"

"At least he can hide it. The girl looks exactly like Granger," snipped the man, focusing on the book in his hands. "Though Granger turned into quite the little sex kitten."

Brushing her long, soft hair from her neck, the woman let out the most unladylike snort, sneering, "Sex kitten? Please, I'm sure the little shrew sucks in the sack, no pun intended."

"Draco doesn't seem to think so."

"Pardon?"

Shrugging, he admitted, "I heard some rumors at the pub. Guy says he's stupid in love with the chit. Heard from a more private source that she's completely uninhibited in bed, much to his pleasure. I wouldn't mind being the fly on their wall."

"You would," she grimaced, making a face. "And why exactly are you asking about their sex life, hmm?"

He answered, "They're the most popular couple in the world with her the most popular person. The only one left of the Golden Trio. You cannot tell me you're not curious about her."

"I'm not," she snipped back harshly.

"Right," he replied back, rolling his eyes, "I'm a house-elf. You can lie all you want, Astoria, but everyone and their broom is curious about Hermione Granger. Umbridge should do well to remember that."

"I'll let her know."

Adjusting her long, black dress, she smoothed the bunched material around her waist, attempting to distract herself from her current position as babysitter. She told that bitch Umbridge she didn't feel like watching the kids, but as usual, she ignored her while jumping to her older's sister defense. Daphne always got everything she wanted, and Astoria hated her for it.

"I hate this," she whined, leaning against the wall, banging her head repeatedly on the grimy surface. "Everyone else gets to torment the mudblood and I'm stuck here with her half-blood spawn."

"Trust me, I'm not any happier than you are...about your company," he quipped.

"Excuse me?"

Turning a page, he replied, "At least the kids are quiet. If I have to listen to you bitch this entire time, _I'm _going to bloody kill your arse."

Letting out a gasp of pique, she mumbled to herself beneath her breath, still unhappy and now infuriated over her injured pride. With her focus on her wounded ego and him zeroed in on his book, neither of them saw the little girl in the corner, holding her brother, growing more upset with each passing second.

0000000

"_Stupefy!"_

It must have been the seventh one she'd cast, and yet the witch still evaded it. Pretty good for a toad.

"Hermione, watch your back!" yelled Draco from behind. Out of nowhere, she felt his body land on hers, throwing her to the floor, shielding her from the impact of a roaring curse thrown above her head.

The curse had been green.

She felt a rush of deja vu sweep over her, her stomach plateau beneath the surface...

_Yet, suddenly, out of nowhere, she found herself crashing to her right side and sprawled on the floor, a heavy body on top of hers. At first she figured someone had been killed and thrown into her. Then a wisp of red hair fell across her own face and she felt hands wrapping around her head as though for protection._

_Ron._

_Ron had thrown himself over her in order to protect her._

"_Ron?"_

_Only, he didn't answer. As soon as she lifted up, she felt a jolt of a spell hitting flesh but it wasn't her own. Bellatrix, the evil bitch, cast the killing curse on Ron, taking his life without a second thought._

"_Oh no...NO!"_

_Rolling Ron onto his back, she took a moment to knock Bellatrix back with a simple deflection spell. She ran her hands across his pale face, his look suggesting that his final thought had been, 'well, shit. The bitch got me.'_

_Tears fell down her cheeks, landing unchecked on his own still face, as she murmured, "You stupid, stupid fool! You shouldn't have done that. Why didn't you let me go? Why did you sacrifice yourself?"_

_As though expecting an answer, she took another second to rub his soft cheek and sift her hands through his coppery hair._

_Rational thought gone, she rose to her feet and physically launched herself at the woman, knocking her wand away. Punching, hitting, scratching, and viciously clawing at her sallow skin without mercy, Hermione beat on Bella for all she was worth. Her mind, far beyond reason or critical thought, sat dumbly and allowed her to take out all the anger and anguish and despair and hate she felt on the witch who caused it._

_She took Ron away from her_...

"Draco?" she whispered, her throat clenched. "Draco, are you all right? Answer me, damn it."

"Yeah, fuck, we got to move," he replied hastily, attempting to lift up.

Looking to her left, she pulled out the wand beneath her body, an incredible feat given her current position, and threw a curse at a shocked Millicent Bulstrode, knocking her down to the ground, unconscious.

Shifting to her knees, Draco wrapped large hands around her waist and yanked her up, thrusting her behind himself. Umbridge stood before them, her eyes blazing red, wand pointed at Draco's heart, her hand shaking with fury.

"When will you two learn? It's over, haven't you realized it?" she growled, her frown nearly touching her stubby cankles. "I always knew what you had in intelligence diminished in common sense, Miss Granger."

"Haven't you learned? The name is Malfoy, you ugly old cow, and Draco and I bow to no one!" shouted Hermione, attempting to move around Draco. Just as she took a step forward he put his arm out, effectively stopping her.

"Stop."

"Draco," she whispered quietly, "I have the wand. Step back, you're defenseless."

"Not a chance. Stay behind me."

"Dra—"

"No," he repeated in a deep voice, his eyes still on the woman before him. "I just got you back. I'm not losing you again."

Umbridge's eyes widened, the realization dawning on her - Hermione Granger had her memory back. She hadn't expected that, but naturally, being the woman of a (supposed) thousand ripostes, she jumped on the opportunity to make the Malfoy family suffer just a little more.

"Well, well, well...are you saying our beloved Hermione has finally decided to grace us with her presence? I must say, Miss Granger, I never—"

"Malfoy!" she bellowed irately.

"—thought you'd lost your memory. Mind, perhaps, but I didn't think my faithful follower truly meant it when she told me you'd lost your memory. Are you telling me you finally have returned?"

"Is this bitch serious?" asked Hermione, making Draco crack a brief smile.

Her twisted smile fell and Umbridge cleared her throat audibly, growing more angry than when they'd both been in her office during fifth year (albeit on different sides) before venturing off to battle at the Ministry.

"If you have any last words, you best speak them to each other now."

"I'll give you a word," sneered Hermione, taking a step forward...

0000000

"Ugly little runt finally decided to shut her mouth," hissed Astoria, smirking triumphantly at Hermione and Draco's five-year-old daughter. Roxy glared while she continued ranting, "It's such a shame Draco married that deceitful whore. The kid isn't too hideous so imagine what could have been had he married someone pure."

"I think the kid is all right," noted Malcolm Baddock, her babysitting companion. "I've seen uglier kids."

"Yeah, from Neville Longbottom, but does that honestly say much?" She laughed at her own joke, cackling like it was the funniest thing she'd heard in a week. Nobody else laughed with her.

Roxanne, still shaking from her upset, finally murmured, "Mummy says it's easier to be nice than to be mean. You sure are trying really hard to be mean."

Baddock let out a bark of laughter, slumping to his right, his side hurting from his chuckles. Astoria turned her wicked glare from the two children, one still sleeping steadfastly in the other's lap, onto her partner, sneering at his pleasure in her humiliation.

"I'm starting to like the kid," he noted savagely, glaring at her with just as many daggers, reckless amusement on his face. Rubbing his slight beard with his left hand, he continued, "She reminds me of your charming sister."

"Don't you dare compare me to Daphne! Furthermore, I will not stand here and be insulted by some...by Hermione Granger's children!"

"Malfoy!" shouted Roxanne, clutching her brother, her eyes blazing with boldness.

"You dare speak to me, you piece of filth? You're nothing more than a deceitful treat; pretty on the outside but rotten on the inside. You're poison, your whole family is, and tonight you're all going to die for it!"

"Stop it," pleaded Roxanne, her head shaking, her tiny fist nearly white. "Daddy and Mummy will get us."

Smirking, the woman finding the torture of her young innocent mind entertaining, taunted, "The next time you see your precious mummy and daddy, _if_ you ever get to see them, will involve pieces. Your mum and dad will be torn apart by the end of the night."

"Please, stop...stop it..."

"Oh I can't wait to hear your mother's screams and your dad's cries of agony. I do receive such pleasure in knowing they won't live to see another day."

"Stop it, stop it, stop it..."

"You won't even recognize your ugly little mum or your obtuse father. I'll receive such great delight in listening to your sobs when you realize your parents–"

"Stop..."

"–are–"

"...stop, stop, stop..."

"–fucking–"

"...stopstopstop..."

"–_dead!_"

"STOP!"

_BANG!_

0000000

-- Ten Minutes Earlier --

"Hermione, look out!" shouted Draco hoarsely.

Turning around, she barely missed a spell whizzing a hair in front of her nose, the color of purple blinding her for a mere moment. _Purple? What in the bloody hell is purple? Blue centers upon water and green signifies death, so what's purple again? Purple...purple...sharp! They're casting knife curses upon us. Dear Merlin, how do we defeat this?_

Throwing another 'protego' before her husband, she suddenly found herself thinking about various instances from her very life...

"_Mummy, you cannot catch me!" she yelled from across the hallway._

_Five-year-old Hermione had enough energy to keep her mother well on her toes, following her around all over their two story home._

"_I'm going to get you, my little Hermione," sing-songed her mother, walking slowly to give her child a hardy advantage. She attempted to keep her giggles at bay, but she found it positively mirthful she managed to find the perfect hiding spot. Little did she know her untied shoelaces were peeking out from beneath the closed door of the small cabinet beneath the lavatory sink._

"_Now where, oh where, has my little girl gone? Oh where or where can she be?" Hermione covered her own mouth in the hopes of keeping her location a secret. "I thought I saw a little girl run in this room, but then where is she? Is she hiding in the bath?" Hermione heard the swishing sound of her mother pulling the bath curtain aside, the clinking of the holders as they connected with the tiles reverberating all around the room. "No, not in there. I guess I'll have to look elsewhere."_

_The footfalls of her mother's feet eventually faded and Hermione clasped her hands together at her victory. Carefully, she extricated herself from the cabinet, offhandedly knocking over a few of her mother's beauty products. After pushing them back in and closing the door, she tiptoed out of the room, only to be wrapped up in the arms of her mother._

"_I caught you!"_

_Laughing together, the two of them rolled around in the hallway, giggling like mad until Hermione's father came home, a smile on his tired face._

"_And just what are you two up to?" he inquired with a slight chuckle._

_Shrugging, clutching her mother's midsection, Hermione answered cheekily, "Nothing, Daddy. Me and Mummy were just...playing nicely."_

"_You two were running around the house again, weren't you? You were playing hide-and-go-seek. What did your dear old dad tell you about that?"_

_Looking at her mother, who gave her a surreptitious wink, she replied, "That we weren't allowed to play unless you could play too."_

"_That's right. All right, I'm going to count to twenty." Closing his eyes and facing the wall, he began to count, "One...two...three..."_

_Hermione's mother stood up and helped her to her feet, and together they ran across the house, chortling as they sought another perfect hiding spot..._

Goodness, how she loved to spend moments like that with her parents, no cares at all, the two of them shielding her from the cruel aspects of the world. Draco and her did their best to do the same for their own children, blocking out the realities they didn't want their kids to face. Draco never had parents who doted on his needs, never had people tell him it was all right to feel sad, to feel upset, to feel hurt. Together, they were parents first and foremost for their children...

_Hermione stared at her husband as he brushed some loose hair back from his son's forehead. The little tot had been sick for over six days now with an ear infection, meaning he constantly felt hot, irritable, and had a dreadfully high fever._

_The illness meant keeping Roxanne away from her brother so as not to aggravate him further. While their daughter meant no harm, at age four, she commanded attention and, unfortunately, they didn't have too much to spare with their second-born so sick. Mrs. Weasley was a right gem and offered to act as babysitter for a few days to give them time with Bailey, watching after her until the night._

_She and Draco were in agony as they listened to his pained cries, doing anything and everything to make him feel better. With his high fever, they placed a charmed washcloth atop his sweaty forehead, trying to alleviate the heat. For his hot body, they put a cooling charm on his belly, doing their best to keep him as comfortable as possible. They gave him a few potions as well, but since he wasn't even two yet, the healer told them to let his body heal on its own._

_On more than one occasion, Hermione cried tears for her boy._

"_Did you get him to sleep?" she asked in a gentle whisper._

_Nodding, not taking his eyes off his son, Draco responded, "Yes, he fell asleep a few minutes ago. Poor little guy."_

"_Mmh. Why don't you come to bed? He'll probably wake up in a little while so we should get some rest ourselves."_

_Without giving her a direct answer of agreement, he bent down to kiss the tip of his son's nose and stood up, carefully arranging the covers around his small, exhausted body. With another longing glance, he followed his wife out of the room and into their own bedroom._

"_He just seems so helpless like that," said Draco, talking off his shirt as he walked to their bathroom. "I'll never get used to either one of them being sick."_

"_Trust me, I understand. He's better today, though, so I'm sure he'll be fine in a couple of days."_

"_I hope so," he mumbled, splashing water onto his face. "How is Roxy?"_

"_I just tucked her in. She told me to tell Bailey to get better."_

_Hermione saw him smile as he brushed his teeth, his eyes softening at the talk of his children. She knew his greatest desire was to have a loving family and she figured he realized he finally had that._

_Already prepared for sleep, she turned around and made her way to their bed, padding slowly across the floor. Just as she reached the covers, she felt hands, large hands, slide around her waist, pulling her against a strong body._

_She sighed as he whispered into her ear, "I love you. You know that right?"_

"_Always and forever."_

_Quickly he turned her in his arms and kissed her soundly..._

"Draco, duck!"

Dropping to his knees, he saw a flash of purple slide by him, slicing through the skin of his raised arm.

"Fuck," he cursed, immediately clamping over it with his left hand, blood seeping through his clenched fingers. Hermione, suddenly panicked, didn't watch from behind her as a heavy man dressed in black jumped on her back. The fight, the wind, and, most importantly, the wand were knocked out of her, the wand sliding from her small hand across the floor.

"Got you now, Missus Malfoy," he hissed in her ear, his tongue sliding across the outer rim, making her want to gag; "you're a pretty little thing, but damn it, you've given us enough trouble. Along with your husband, and those brats of yours."

"He's got her!" came the nasally voice of Umbridge. Hermione could see from the corner of her eye her pudgy feet practically galloping across the disgusting floor.

However, what the woman didn't see, was Draco rising to his feet, Hermione's thrown wand in his hand.

"_Stupefy!_" he cast, standing tall as Umbridge's short body fell to the floor with a resounding thud.

Hermione would have cheered, but the heavy weight on her back wouldn't allow it. His portly hands wrapped themselves tightly around her throat, taking away any opportunity to pull in another breath. His middle finger landed directly above her esophagus, practically garroting her. The strength in her body left in an exhalation, her face turning purple before the wide-eyes of her frightened husband.

"Get off of her!"

When Draco blasted him across the room, Hermione sucked in a great amount of air, and then another followed and another and another...

"Breathe, Hermione," he whispered, pinning her face between his hands, willing her to meet his eyes. "Breathe, love. Damn it, breathe, my love."

Gasping, he pulled her into his arms, holding her to him firmly, trying to help her inhale a single breath. He rubbed her back, stroked her hair, spoke soothing words into her ears, did anything to will her to keep breathing.

Struggling but panting, she pressed her cheek against his, allowing the air from her mouth to brush against his sugar-white hair. In a voice so unlike her own, strained and hoarse, she whispered, "The children?"

"We'll...we'll get to them. I promise you."

He heard a light laugh escape her.

"I'm not sure we'll leave this room."

"We will," he assured her, his grip tightening about her, "I promise you, we will."

"Doubt that, but it's a nice thought, my love."

His fingers ran through her curly hair, the softness enveloping him, giving him the opportunity to drink in all that of his wife. He loved this woman, all of her, no matter who she thought she was. Be it sixteen or one hundred, he loved her with everything in him. Memory and all, he loved Hermione Malfoy.

That's the problem with death.

It reminds one only then the extent of which love can go. Being so close to death forces people to come to terms with their true feelings, the dawning realization of the importance in one's life. Draco loved this woman and his two beautiful children, and he knew he always would.

"I love you," she whispered to him, her trembling hands sliding up and down his neck, pulling her toward him. "You know that right?"

Gripping her desperately, close enough without hurting her, he told her, "Always and forever."

"Isn't this just too sweet?" spat a voice as hard as diamonds.

Hermione, still panting, turned her head in the direction of the voice as Draco did the same, their cheeks pressing against one another while they stared at Umbridge, conscious and back on her fat feet. Flanked beside her were six followers, three on each side, all of them with their wands brandished, prepared to end the couple in an instant.

Closing her eyes, she thought of another time, a time when only Draco could hear the words slipping from between her lips...

_Laying between the luxurious silver sheets and black duvet of their bed, Hermione snuggled against her new husband's strong chest, breathing in his musky scent. Smiling, the night's memories replayed in her mind over and over again._

_After saying goodnight to Blaise and Ginny, he'd carried her into_ their _bedroom, quickly casting a silencing spell around the room. Draco treated her like she was made of crystal, caressing her body so tenderly, lovingly, she nearly burst from so much adoration for the man. His touch, his kisses, his everything felt right against her body, more so as her beautiful wedding ring sparkled against his skin._

_They made love throughout the night, waking up only to do so again and again. At around four in the morning, she woke up to find his hands casually tracing over her belly, creating a path through the valley of her breasts, only to end at her chin where he pulled her into an arduous kiss._

_Now, with the dawn light illuminating the room with a rosy glow, Hermione found herself cuddling up with her still sleeping husband._

_Husband._

_Her husband._

_She started giggling to herself, biting her lip to keep from waking him up. She'd longed for so long to have him like this, to have him entirely to herself, and here she was - the wife of Draco Malfoy._

_She'd be lying if she said it had been a lifelong goal for it most certainly was not. Draco grew from a nasty little creature into a strong, honorable, and loving man - her man, all hers._

"_And what, wife, is so funny?"_

_Laughing, she replied, "I'm your wife. That's precisely what is so funny."_

_Pulling her closer to him, he inquired, "How so?"_

"_I just never thought the day would come. So many things, _andpeople,_ tried to keep us apart and yet, here we are, married and together."_

"_I know," he said, kissing her temple, "to think I'm stuck with you for the rest of my life. Merlin, what did I do in a prior life to deserve such a horrid fate?"_

_Leaning over him, pressing her bare chest to his own, making him bite his lip to keep from groaning aloud, she smiled mischievously at him. She licked her lips before she bent down to press her mouth against his throat, forming a trail of kisses up the line of his jaw, extending up to his forehead, all the way down until she reached the corner of his mouth. He tilted forward, desperate to steal a kiss, but Hermione refused to allow him such a thing._

"_You're evil in the morning, did you know?"_

"_I'm evil all the time, did you know?"_

_He chuckled, running his hands up and down her sides, stopping just at her curvaceous hips._

"_You're beautiful," he noted, his expression suddenly soft. "Did you know that?"_

_Looking away, overcome with a mild shyness, she ran her hand tenderly over his shoulders as she whispered, "This is beautiful. You and I, all of it. It's beautiful."_

"_That may be," he acknowledged, lifting up and turning her onto her back, slanting forward so their noses nearly touched and their breath mingled, "but nothing, and I mean nothing, is more beautiful than you."_

_After that, there was no more talking..._

"Any last words? Does the mudblood wish to say anything else to the traitor?" taunted a voice she recognized as Pansy. Hermione could see, with satisfaction, a bruise forming near her mouth where she'd punched her earlier.

"I love you," Draco whispered again, holding her close, burying his face in her hair for one last whiff of her pretty scent.

A tear slid down her cheek, not for herself but for everyone else. She cried for her friends, Ginny and Blaise, both of whom would grieve for the loss of their two mates and god-children. She cried for her parents for meeting their deaths strictly because of their blood. She cried for Harry and Ron, her two best friends that gave their lives to save hers. She cried for all the people who found hope in the remaining member of the Golden Trio only to lose it with her death.

Most of all, she cried for her family - Draco, Roxanne, and Bailey - all of whom were going to suffer for and with her. She caused all this - inadvertently, of course - and they would face the consequences.

"I love you," she whispered back, "and I'm so sorry, my love."

"Always and forever, right?"

"Say hello to Potter for us. _Av_—"

_BANG!_

Draco immediately threw himself over his wife, shielding her from the debris of the explosion coming from behind the wall. A mixture of screams and curses flew to their ears before silence fell over and the couple lifted up to see a large hole in the wall, surrounding rocks strewn about around them. Hermione's mouth dropped as she stared at the bodies on the ground, looking near death though she could see chests rising and falling.

"Holy shit," swore Draco, his eyes just as wide as hers.

"My sentiments exactly," she murmured back, leaning closer to him.

Just when she was about to ask what happened, a small head peaked around the hole, her grey eyes, the color of her father's, huge in her startled face.

"Oops," she said in a tiny voice.

That one word managed to change the mood entirely - Draco and Hermione both burst out into laughter, clinging to each other as they smiled at their young daughter, unable to control themselves. One moment from death, saved by an explosion, and all their daughter could say was oops?

Their laughter didn't subside when they saw their son step around from behind his sister, smiling happily at the sight of his parents.

"Papa! Mama!" he shouted, holding his arms out beseechingly.

"They're safe," she whispered, "thank Merlin, they're both safe."

Draco sighed in agreement before he stood up, pulling Hermione with him, and together they walked across the rocks, carefully stepping over the unconscious death eaters to reach their children. Draco swept Bailey into his arms as Hermione reached for Roxanne, both of them clinging to their son and daughter with everything in them.

"Oh, baby girl, what happened? Did one of them–" gesturing toward the unconscious Astoria and Malcolm on the other side of the room, "–do something?"

Shrugging, Roxanne replied honestly, "I don't know, Mummy. The meanheads were just saying all these bad things about you and Daddy. B and me were sitting here and I was...I was really angry. I kept telling them to stop talking and then...I don't know. Everything kind of just blew up."

"Accidental magic," laughed Draco, holding Draco to his chest. "We were saved by Roxy's magic."

"She couldn't control her anger," noted Hermione, smiling at their daughter. "Thank goodness for that."

Hugging her again, Draco and Hermione exchanged a brief look of relief before they heard a clatter and the deep, commanding voice of Blaise Zabini.

"Where are they?" he growled, "Everyone spread out. We're searching for two kids and two adults, both of whom...strangely enough look like the people in this room."

Draco turned around to meet his best friend's assuaged expression, his wand hand dropping to his side. About ten other men followed in after him, their wands out and their faces alert.

"Uncle Blaise!" shouted Roxanne excitedly, still clutching her mother's forearms.

"Brat, it's good to see you. Good to see you three, too. Are you all right?"

"Shaken and Draco's arm is hurt, but we're all okay."

Draco, still holding his son, asked, "How did you find us?"

"Oh, it was Ginny's idea. After I got back and said how you willingly came here, like an idiot, a complete asinine idiot—"

"I get it, I'm an idiot. Move on."

"All right. Well, when I told them what the idiot did, everyone started clamoring as to how to get to you four. While we all came up with nothing, Ginny suddenly spotted the headband on Autumn's cute little head. It made her remember Hermione's ribbon, the one she wore in the war. I guess it's some sort of tracking device. We're just lucky Hermione is so paranoid and still wears it all times, memory or not."

"No worries, Zabini, the memory is back so you can start talking to me instead of just to Draco, you arrogant dolt."

"Blimey, Hermione is back!"

Laughing, the four Malfoys and their friend remained together in a small huddle while the Ministry officials collected evidence and arrested the revived death eaters who captured them.

* * *

_A/N: Lol, this has been a LONG time coming, I know, but I just refused to put out something I didn't love. This, however, I do. It came out better than I could have hoped for and can you believe it? I wrote nearly all of it today! I got a blast of inspiration out of nowhere and this turned up. I hope you all liked it. Now, I'm a review whore so I'm hoping to get some responses about it :) Hehe, I'm hoping to break a thousand here._

_There will be an epilogue - hopefully I'll have it up soon. I promise I won't write anything else until I get it up. You readers have all been amazing and I appreciate it so very much. And since this will probably be one of my last stories for a while (cause I need a break - I can't stand to keep you all waiting like this. I need my inspiration leprachaun Grady to return to me), I owe it to you to finish it up soon._

A Dream Worth Keeping_ is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


	28. Like A Lion

**Like A Lion - Epilogue**

_-- Seven Months Later -- _

Roxanne Malfoy merrily trotted down the wide staircase with both hands on the right-hand rail, her tiny feet hitting each step with a resonate thwack. Her Aunt Ginny just bought her a pretty pair of blue jelly-flats (blue being her new favorite color, for the month at least) for her birthday and she decided she wanted to wear them _everywhere_.

Her father commented how she would wear them out in a week, but it didn't deter the six-year-old girl. She'd keep them on her feet until her toes peeked through.

Just as she reached the last step, she heard the rapid footfalls of her younger brother, the kid scrambling to catch up with his big sister.

"Come on, B, it's time for breakfast," she told him, placing her hands on her hips in mock-annoyance at having to wait.

"Brekbest!" he yelled, lisping on the 's.' Lately, his parents were working on his pronunciation, but so far, his 's' remained just as lazy as ever. They figured it would be a lasting idiosyncrasy, for a few more years at least. Just so long as it didn't bother their son, his parents found his lisp adorable, along with every other female Bailey came in contact with.

Taking the steps much slower than his sister meant Roxy, forever the impatient girl (a trait she inherited from her father), started to tap her foot like she often saw her father doing when waiting for her mother. She remembered just the other day when her mother came down the steps in a pretty dress, her father tapping his foot zealously...

"_Hermione, we're going to be late," noted Draco, staring at the wooden grandfather clock elegantly chiming at the top of the hour. The dark bronze hand just reached the top as the bells struck seven. They were supposed to be there in twenty minutes and unlike him, she was running a few minutes behind. AND they still had to drop the kids off at their Grandma Molly's house._

"_Where are you going tonight, Daddy?" asked Roxanne, clutching the teddy-bear her Uncle Blaise gave her, yawning hugely._

_Giving her a little smile, he answered, "If your mum ever gets down here, I'm taking her to a fancy-smancy ball for my work."_

"_Is Uncle Blaise and Auntie Ginny going?"_

_Always the stickler for grammar, he replied, "Yes, they_ are_ going, baby. We're meeting them at your grandma's house. That is, if your mother ever gets down here."_

_Just as the last word left his mouth, a rustling upstairs alerted them of Hermione's arrival. Draco's breath hitched the moment he laid his eyes on her._

_At the top of the stairs, Hermione was wrapped in a yellow dress, the fabric clinging to her body, her bulging belly clearly visible from even the bottom of the staircase. She'd pulled her long, curly hair back into an elegant ponytail, a yellow ribbon laced throughout the strands like a cross-stitched pattern. On her pale neck lay the necklace Draco gave her for their third wedding anniversary: a gold heart lined by citrine, the champagne color blinding the eyes from its beauty. If one were to read the etched scripture in the middle of the pendant, one would read 'Always and Forever.'_

_Draco, whose hand had flown to his chest at the sight of her, stared at her with an open mouth, dumbfounded._

"_How do I look?" she asked in a soft voice._

"_You look pretty, Mummy!" exclaimed Roxanne excitedly, dropping her bear in her enthusiasm._

_Smiling at her, she replied, "Thank you, sweetheart."_

_Gulping, he approached the staircase and held out his hand, leaning forward for her to take it._

"_So, Draco...how do I look?" she asked again, her dark eyes sparkling._

_The man could hardly contain himself - where in the hell did he begin?_

"_You look...stunning. Gorgeous. Completely ravishing," he told her, taking her hand, kissing her knuckles lovingly._

_Hermione didn't answer him, per se, instead giving him a sweet smile, her cheeks flushing prettily. He absentmindedly placed his hand on her stomach, asking, "You ready to go?"_

_Nodding, excited at the prospect of an evening out, she looked down at her daughter. "Where is your little brother?" she queried._

_Picking up her light pink bear, she answered, "He's sleeping in the living room. Are we going to floo to Grandma's house now?"_

_Draco, giving his wife another quick kiss on the cheek, nodded before taking his daughter's hand and walked his two girls into the other room. Bailey, snoozing away on the couch, thumb in his mouth, fussed when his father picked him up into his arms. It only lasted a second, the boy quickly melting into his father's embrace._

_Roxanne went first, followed by her father and younger brother. Draco immediately placed his son in a welcoming Molly's arms and then virtually flew to the fireplace, catching Hermione just as she fell through._

"_You all right?" he asked worriedly, meeting her eyes with apprehension._

_She clutched her stomach, her head swimming from the sensation of swirling around in the floo system. Naturally she felt nauseous, but pushed it aside, keeping her trembling hands on her husband's shoulders. Breathing in and out, she focused on anything save the sickening feeling in her stomach._

"_Honey?"_

"_I'm fine, really. I think we should reconsider this whole floo thing," she suggested, pressing her hand to her forehead while Draco steadied her on her two feet._

"_Mummy, you look sick," noted Roxanne, her grey eyes nearly watering. "Are you sick, Mum?"_

"_I'll be fine, baby, don't worry. I think it's best we portkey next time."_

"_Already have one ready," said Blaise, coming into the room carrying a wide-eyed Autumn, the girl happily suckling on a bottle. Draco and Hermione both smirked when they saw Autumn kick her feet out, elated at the familiar faces in the house. Though she loved her parents the most, she definitely recognized and knew the entire Malfoy clan, even before the age of one._

"_Autumn!" Roxanne rushed over to greet the child, someone she considered as her younger sibling. Blaise dropped down to his knees and allowed his God-daughter to brush his daughter's cheek lovingly. "She's wearing the pajamas Uncle Bill got her."_

"_How is it you remember everything, brat?" asked Blaise, genuinely baffled at the young girl. Everyday she shocked him more and more, and he had to admit, he loved every bit of it. He only hoped his own daughter turned out half as great as this little one._

"_I've just got a good memory, like Mummy. Right?"_

_Smiling, still clutching her stomach, Hermione replied, "I'd say you get your memory from your Daddy, not your barmy old mother."_

"_You're barmy if you believe that, Granger," whispered Draco, rubbing her belly in soothing circles, "cause you're perfect."_

"_Yeah, yeah," she grumbled, though her face betrayed any look of malice. Draco, though frugal with tender words growing up, meant everything wholeheartedly about their children and about her. She'd believe anything he told her, she knew him so well._

"_Wow! Auntie Ginny, you look pretty!" giggled Roxanne, clasping her hands together in a clap as Ginny graced the room with her presence. Unlike Hermione, whose dress was the epitome of elegance and class, Ginny's dress screamed fun, hardly the type of frock most women would wear after giving birth to a child. In the color of sassy turquoise, two straps wrapped around her arms while the back went dangerously low, giving an eyeful of her creamy skin. The front gathered at one side, pined in place by a fastener in the shape of a flower, covered in dazzling lapis lazulites, a gift from her husband. The gems looked like Blaise literally stole stars from the night sky to give to his wife. Since the dress cut off just above the knees, her toned figure couldn't have been more obvious, short of her walking around naked. Blaise didn't even try to hold back the smirk when she entered the room._

"_Thanks, brat," she said, running her hands through Roxanne's curly hair. Looking up at Hermione, she complimented, "Hermione, you look great!"_

"_I look pregnant," she replied, frowning slightly._

"_Then embrace it. Merlin only knows you handle pregnancy better than anyone else. You're glowing!"_

_Hermione's frown ceased immediately._

_Roxanne peered down when she heard the familiar tapping of her father's impatient foot. Then, "Is everyone ready to go? I don't want to be late."_

"_Merlin forbid," teased Blaise, handing Autumn over to her Grandma Molly. "Marriage and fatherhood have softened you. You're getting old, mate."_

"_I'm the one with another kid on the way," he fired back, smiling evilly as he hugged Hermione to his body._

"_Well, you know—"_

"_We've already discussed this Blaise," snapped Ginny, "and unless_ you_ plan on carrying the kid, we're not having another one."_

"_We shall see," said Blaise, wrapping an arm around her._

_Nodding fervently, Mrs. Weasley added, "Yes, we shall. I need more grandbabies around here. Moot point, however, since you lot need to go. Roxy, darling, give your mum and dad a kiss. You too, little B."_

_Roxanne and Bailey quickly rushed to their parents, hugging them both as Hermione placed loving kisses on both of their foreheads._

"_Have fun, Mummy."_

_Laughing, Hermione asked, "Are you the parent tonight, baby girl?"_

"_Yes, so remember your bed time, young lady," she said sternly._

_Everyone in the room, save baby Autumn, burst into laughter..._

Just as Bailey jumped from the final step, she took his hand and the duo walked into the kitchen to find their father already preparing several dishes on the stove. The two each grabbed a leg, making him smile as he turned his head to spot them.

"I'm being attacked!" he joked, placing a hand atop each of their precious heads. Bailey snuggled into the embrace, while Roxanne disentangled, peering around the room.

"Where is Mummy?" she asked after the observant girl realized they were missing a family member.

"She just woke up so she should be down in a moment. Why don't you two give your mum a hand by already having the table ready," he suggested, returning to the family's breakfast.

Roxanne complied, striding to the utensil drawer and picking out the correct amount of forks, spoons, and butter knives. Her little brother stood by her side, begging her to let him help, so she handed him the spoons making him squeal with delight. Just as she embarked on setting the forks and knives, Bailey stood proudly, beaming over his work.

"I did it!" he said, giving her a toothy grin.

"Yes you did," acknowledged their mother, who just walked in wearing a white chenille robe and baby blue pajama bottoms. "Great job, B."

Roxanne noticed the spoons were not only on the wrong side but backwards, but she held back from telling B when she saw her mother lift a finger to her lips, followed by a little wink. She shrugged and continued on her endeavor to set the rest of the table.

Meanwhile, Hermione strode over to her husband and wrapped her arms around his belly, pressing a warm kiss to his neck.

"I got to lie in today," she noted, continuing to press soft kisses to his back.

Nodding, he replied, "Yes, well, don't get used to it. As soon as this kid is born then it's back into the kitchen for you, wife."

Chuckling, she gave him a playful smack on the backside, smirking as she countered, "The day I start taking orders from you is the day I start coaching professional quidditch. Never going to happen, babe."

He turned around, pulling her into his arms, feeling the love radiating off her in droves. After nearly losing her, nearly losing their children, nearly losing their whole life together, Draco realized he needed his family more than anything.

The night Umbridge set it up to take his children and lure his wife into their custody, Draco figured he lost at least a few years off his life. He only felt whole again when they'd safely returned to his arms. Naturally, the Ministry arrested the entire clan, charging Umbridge with four counts of attempted 'Killing Curse' casts, several counts of 'Cruciatus Curse' casts, three counts of kidnapping, and so forth; the list just went on and on. Draco didn't rest easy until the woman entered Azkaban for good.

While the night still made his heart swell with anxiousness, it also reminded him of his proper reunion with his wife. After so many long months without her, it felt good to finally have her back. It never stopped knocking him for six when he realized what he could have lost, what _they_ could have lost together, and he thanked whatever deity existed for returning his wife to him...

_Softly, he shut the door behind him, an overwhelming feeling taking over as he stared at her silhouette glowing from the moonlight. After bidding each child goodnight, she'd gone to their room for bed yet the moon distracted her. Instead of retreating to the comforts of their covers, she replayed the night's activities while staring at the starry night._

_He almost lost the woman, the mother of his children, his wife, and the thought alone managed to bring up some bile in his throat. He forced it down, determined to spend this night with her without any interruptions or problems._

"_It's a beautiful night," she whispered, sensing his presence._

_Carefully, so as not to disturb her with silly noises, he approached her, wrapping his arms around her waist the moment he reached her. He pressed his forehead against her neck, breathing in her scent; freshly showered, she smelled like clean soap and jasmine. Gently rubbing his fingers across her flat abdomen, he told her, "I love you."_

"_I know you do," she assured him, placing her hands over his own. "I love you too, Draco. More than you know."_

"_I've missed you," he breathed, running his hands up and down her sides, making her shiver from beneath his touch. "Merlin, I thought I'd never get you back."_

"_I'm sorry."_

"_What was it like?" he asked, his hands beginning to unbutton her (his) shirt. "How much do you remember of it?"_

_Sighing, she admitted, "It's confusing. I can remember everything, but it's all a haze. I remember everything up until that night with perfect clarity, and then comes the night when I lost my memory. After that it's fuzzy and unclear, and all I can purely see includes me being a terrible person to you—"_

"_Stop right there," he told her firmly, turning her in his arms, momentarily forgetting about undressing her. "It doesn't matter anymore. What matters is that you did come back to me and our family is safe, all of us. As long as I have you, I can get through anything._ We_ can get through anything."_

_Staring into his eyes, glistening like silver in the moonlight, she realized he spoke the truth. She reached her hand up, her fingers tracing the beautiful features of his face. Immediately he closed his eyes, letting out a heavy sigh deep from within him, breathing rapidly as he felt her,_ his wife, _touch his skin. The girl he'd been with for so long, though identical in body and, technically, mind, was no match for this woman before him - her spirit, her life, her love._

"_I've missed you so damn much."_

_Unable to contain himself, he grabbed the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deep, possessive kiss. Responding in kind, she gave into his mouth fervently, resuming his prior activity of unbuttoning one of his dress shirts that she wore. His hands pulled her with him, guiding them to their marriage bed. Once her fingers reached the last button, she yanked the shirt off herself, ridding the barrier between them. His hands rose to touch every available inch of her body, eliciting groans from her as the couple neared their destination._

_There was something animalistic about the moment, and neither Draco nor Hermione could have been more grateful._

_Breaking the kiss, he murmured against her lips, "I've missed you, my love. My sweet, sweet wife."_

_He was awarded by another bout of frenzied kisses while she nimbly loosened the drawstring of his sleeping pants._

"_Tell me you'll never leave me again. Promise me, love."_

_The back of his legs hit the edge of the bed and fell on it without preamble, pulling Hermione swiftly on top of him. Framing her face, he repeated, "Promise me."_

"_I promise you, Draco. Never, never again."_

_Without waiting a moment longer, she kissed him fully on the lips, their tongues mingling in a mutual assault. Draco's hands slid down her bareback and over the curve of her backside, tugging at the jersey shorts she wore to bed. Breaking the contact, she lifted up, allowing her to pull his shirt over his head, dropping her own bare breasts against his broad chest soon after, skin on skin._

_His mouth curved over hers, caressing her lips like silk, exploring her heat. He sucked on her top lip, playfully chewing on the folds of her mouth. Draco slid his mouth down beyond her chin and suckled on her neck, his hands gliding over her flesh with an urgency she desperately needed to feel. _

_Their commingling breaths were coming out rapidly and hot, their kisses moving beyond the mouth to the neck, the chest, the shoulders, and anywhere within reach. Once they both managed to rid themselves of their pajama bottoms, Draco united them, the couple nearly choking with relief._

"_Draco..." she groaned against his neck, giving him her body, mind, and soul completely._

_Surging in hard strokes, he moved his lips against her ear, whispering, "I love you. I love you so...bloody...much."_

_He moved within her so quickly that for a moment Hermione only saw one color: the gunmetal silver of his eyes, blinding her like the stars had earlier. Biting her lip, she felt her impending release approaching at a brisk rate._

_Their connection, their bond, spoke without words, could be heard through the absurdly loud silence - when love can conquer silence, love can conquer all. Draco and Hermione realized this as their mutual release exploded with a wave of colors. Crying out, thankful they cast a silencing charm, Hermione grabbed a fistful of the sheets with her right hand while her left clawed down his back. Draco, torn between unyielding pain and the blinding pleasure his wife gave him, buried his face in her neck, clenched his teeth while his hands dug into the mattress with a fierce intensity._

_Coming down from their high, Draco resumed his kissing assault on her upper body as she trembled beneath him. When he reached her lips, he whispered, his lips a breath away from her own, brushing the tips, "You're so much better in bed now than you were at sixteen."_

_Hermione's eyes danced with mirth as she let out a howl of laughter, playfully swatting him on his sweat-dampened head, smiling radiantly. Brushing back the hair from her brow, he bent down and gave her perhaps the softest kiss to ever graze her supple lips..._

"Where did you go just now?" she asked, her lilting voice bringing him out of his reverie.

Smiling thoughtfully, he admitted, "The night you came back to me."

"That's sweet," she whispered, cupping his cheek gently. "Now, let's be honest, were you thinking about the whole night or the mind-blowing sex that it ended with?"

Smirking, he shrugged, making her scowl good-humoredly. He leaned in for a kiss, but she avoided his mouth, turning her cheek at him with a hint of sass. Draco, unbearably turned on already from his prior daydream, pulled her closer to his body, careful not to disturb her protruding baby bump.

Physically turning her head with his hand, he pulled her to him for a smoldering kiss, one that left her woozy and light on her toes. Something about kissing him always left her intoxicated and wanting more.

And Merlin, he was daydreaming about that night? She loved the night as well, remembered it as clear as a crystal ball, but several weeks later, just as the family was finally falling back into the swing of things, they were thrown for yet another loop...

"_So I am pregnant?" she asked, her voice dazed and befuddled._

_Nodding enthusiastically, the healer answered, "Yes, Missus Malfoy, the test confirms you will be expecting a healthy baby in about eight months."_

_The doctor was rewarded by the sound of Hermione retching._

"_I shall leave you two alone for a moment. I'll get your pre-natal potions started."_

_Ginny waved the man out, barely casting him a glance, as she rubbed Hermione's back soothingly. The redhead, though feeling for her friend, couldn't help smiling at the thought of the Malfoy family having another child._

"_You all right?" she asked once Hermione appeared to finish._

_Nodding, she silently asked Ginny to transfigure something in a towel to clean off her face. Reacting nearly instantaneously, Hermione took the cloth from her friend's hand and gently wiped down her soft skin._

"_It was the night I came back. I know it," noted Hermione, leaning back on the lumpy bed, attempting to get comfortable as she placed her hand on her flat tummy._

_Sighing, Ginny suggested, "You should tell Draco tonight."_

"_No kidding. It's just...what is with the kids coming at inconvenient times?!"_

_The duo cracked up laughing, the both of them rubbing Hermione's stomach in comforting circles._

_-- Later that evening -- _

"_I don't like the sound of this," admitted Draco, staring at the plate before him._

_Hermione's head shot up, her eyes narrowed and confused. "What do you mean? I don't hear anything."_

"_Exactly. Since when is our home quiet?" His eyebrows arched, making Hermione nearly swoon at just how sexy he managed to look. _No,_ she told herself, _that's just the hormones talking, you ninny!_"It's only quiet when something has happened. What have you done?"_

"_What have I done? Why do you immediately assume I've done something wrong? For all you know, I could be covering for one of the kids. What about that?"_

_Draco shook his head, replying, "First of all, the kids aren't even here. Second of all, even though they aren't here, I did get to see them when we dropped them off. I would already know if something bad went down. Roxy didn't seem guilty and Bailey is a terrible liar just like you. Speaking of you, something is up with my dear wife. Now, tell me, what have you done?"_

_Looking down and away, feeling the familiar butterflies in her stomach, she lied, "I haven't done anything. I'm just...quiet."_

"_Quiet?" he repeated with some hesitancy._

"_Quiet."_

_Clenching his jaw, feeling a little unnerved, he conceded, "All right. You are aware I'm going to get it out of you in the end, my terrible liar, right?"_

_Ignoring him, she dipped her fork into another piece of her pasta, bringing the cheesy conchiglie to her mouth. Realizing Draco wouldn't stop staring at her, she finally muttered, "I'm never going to get through this meal if you don't stop drilling holes into me with your eyes."_

"_I'd appreciate it if you'd just tell me what's wrong. You've been quiet all evening, you've taken the kids over to the Weasley's so clearly you don't want them to know something, _and_ you've been distant for a while now. What is wrong, love?"_

"_Something I wasn't expecting, but is bloody brilliant!"_

_She shoved back from the table, knocking down the chair as she rose to her feet and walked out of the room. She was torn between crying hysterically and laughing riotously, her hormones so completely out of wack. _What in the hell is the matter with me?! _she asked herself. _Draco hasn't done anything, save knock me up, and here I am, yelling at him like a barmy idiot. It's just a baby for Merlin's sake. It's our baby. It's our THIRD baby.

_Three._

_Three children._

_Draco came into the living area staring at her, obviously anxious and clearly perplexed by her odd behavior._

"_Hermione—"_

"_I'm a strong person, Draco," she told him as she paced around the living room, appearing, in that moment, like she'd gone mad. "I'm intelligent, I'm clever, I'm creative, and I'm also quite cunning when I need to be."_

"_I've never disputed that, love—"_

"_And you are a complete Slytherin. You're a great liar, you're sly, you're sharp, you're...yes, intelligent, but you spent our youth using those brains for evil."_

"_That's not fa—"_

"_I, on the other hand, used my intelligence to help save the wizarding world. We've got two wonderful children Draco!"_

"_Now I'm just conf—"_

"_Confused? Is that what you were going to say?" she asked, still continuing to pace a hole in the floor. "You're confused about this whole thing? Yeah, you're talking to me here. I'm more confused than everyone in this entire confusing world!"_

_Silence._

_More Silence._

_Even more silence._

"_You done?" asked Draco._

_Nodding, Hermione answered slowly, "Yeah. I s'pose so."_

"_Good. Now, Hermione, my love, my whole world, I want you to know that I mean this in the best of ways."_

"_I'm daft?" she suggested._

"_I was going to go with bloody lunatic, but daft will work, yes."_

_Sighing, Hermione turned around to stare onto the back patio, their beautiful brook just a short distance away._

"_I'm not a lunatic, Draco, though you have every right to think of me as one right now—"_

"—_I believe bloody was in there too, but continue—"_

"—_but I'm not. Truth is, I'm so happy right now I can barely contain myself. I'm going to have to, of course, but I guess this little outburst—"_

"—_meltdown—" Draco interrupted._

"—_has a lot to do with the fact that your quidditch team is well on its way. I know I promised you one and so I guess I'm just fulfilling my duties as a wife—"_

_Draco cut off Hermione by sweeping her up into his arms, twirling her around the room as he clutched her close to him. Hermione threw her head back, her long, dark hair dancing in the air, her toes pointed toward the ceiling. With her arms wrapped around his neck, she allowed her husband the joy of the moment._

"_When? When am I getting another one?" he asked once he stopped spinning her._

_Smiling at him, her legs twined around his waist, she replied, "In about eight months, love."_

"_A boy or a girl?"_

"_It doesn't matter. I already have names picked out so there is no need to know."_

_Narrowing his eyes, he said, "You do, do you? I don't get a say in the naming process?"_

"_Not a chance," she teased, shaking her head for effect._

"_And just what are these names?"_

"_If it's a boy, Leon, and if it's a girl, Leandra."_

_Draco thought them both over and in all honesty, he found he didn't mind either of them. In fact, he thought both of them would be fine with the last name Malfoy. He was, however, curious as to how she concluded those were to be the names. _

_So he asked her._

"_Leon means 'lion' and Leandra means 'brave as a lion.' They're perfect for a kid belonging in Gryffindor."_

"_Why you little—"_

_She silenced him with a kiss. A kiss which inevitably led to...other things..._

"Mummy, did I set the table right?"

Hermione peered down at her daughter, noting the adoring smile Roxanne used on her. It was her father's smile, one which meant mischief. Quirking her mouth in suspicion, Hermione walked over to the table to check all the place sittings. The forks: check; the spoons: check; the plates: check; the glasses: check; the cat dish: check; the—

Cat dish?

The Malfoy family doesn't have a cat.

"Roxanne, darling, why is there an animal dish on my table?" asked Hermione, her voice soft but authoritative.

Roxanne's eyes bugged out innocently, her bottom lip protruding ever so slightly, as she answered, "Oh, I forgot about that."

"Did you?"

"Well, Mummy, I was thinking...maybe we could get a kitty. I've always wanted one and I'll take real good care of it!"

Hermione sighed, thinking the situation over. Roxanne's birthday just passed meaning they could get her one as a belated gift, plus she supposed the house was big enough for a cat. She only had one question:

"Roxy, who got you that dish?"

"Daddy."

"Traitor," he mumbled, coming up from behind Hermione.

She turned around, facing her husband with her hands on her hips. The same innocent mein her daughter previously wore now graced her husband's pale face. If she didn't know him inside and out, she would have thought he actually was an angel.

"You got her the dish?" Hermione's tone was all but accusatory.

Holding out his hands as a sign akin to 'I come in peace,' he told her, "Roxy brought it up. I just kind of...helped her along."

"You want a cat, I see. You gave her the idea and went through her, didn't you?"

"Love, you make that sound like a bad thing. What was the point of having all these kids if we can't use them for our advantage every once in a while?" he asked, throwing his hands up in exasperation, a smile dancing on his lips. When Hermione's face didn't change, he added, "Plus, once they're old enough, we also have them to do the dishes."

As much as Hermione wanted to stay mad, she just couldn't.

"You need to remember, Hermione, that we've got a growing family here."

"I always remember _everything,_ Draco."

"Now, love, is that a really good argument to use?"

If she had her wand on her, she probably would have jinxed him for that one. The smile he gave her only reminded her just how right he was. The prat.

"All right, we can get a cat."

"YAY!" shouted Draco and Roxanne at precisely the same time.

Bailey, completely unaware of the situation, joined in on the yelling, giving his mother a toothy grin.

"Breakfast!"

For the first time, Bailey didn't lisp.

0000000

Did Draco and Hermione get their happily ever after?

Well, following the incident, the couple managed to get their life together back in order. Did they still bicker? Yes. Did Draco's arrogance still drive her up a wall? Of course. Did Hermione's organizational habits still make Draco want to pull his hair out? Absolutely.

But what about the love?

Did they still love each other? With everything in them. Did Draco still drool at the sight of his wife? Each time he laid eyes on her. Did Hermione still melt when he whispered sweet nothings in her ear? Each and every time. Did their love making continue as that - love making? For Draco and Hermione, every touch, caress, stroke, whisper, and kiss meant more and more each time. The lovemaking only continued to get better.

And did Hermione ever forget about him again?

Never.

Her dreams would not allow it. Each dream became one worth keeping, and in her mind's vault, she stored them for the rest of time.

As for Roxy, Bailey, and their baby sister, Leandra?

That, dear readers, is a whole other story.

-- The End --

* * *

_A/N: And there you have it, folks. The end of my favorite story - it came out better than I could have hoped for. Thanks for all the support throughout the entire process and thanks for everyone who stuck by it. It took a while, but I finally completed it, and it's something I thoroughly like._

_There will be no sequel._

_I'm going to take a little leave from Draco/Hermione for a while. I've got so many stories in the works, and I'd rather get several chapters finished before posting - it just seems to make things easier, and that way nobody has to wait long. So give me a while. I'm primarily going to focus on "Mistake" right now, but don't worry, I'll be writing D/Hr whenever I get the chance._

_A Dream Worth Keeping is the work of fanfiction. The characters belong to J.K. Rowling, but the featured story is mine._


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